Something Great
by Kweazer
Summary: Every child of the heroes from the Battle of Hogwarts wants to be something great. Especially Teddy Lupin. Follow him through his last year at Hogwarts and his adventures as an Auror afterwards.
1. Rawr!

Teddy looked at his jaw line in the mirror. Closing his eyes, he clenched his mouth, pouring all concentration into his jaw region. He opened one eye, only to find that nothing had changed. Except his nose. Somehow his nose decided to take on the form of a pig snout. Disgusted, he morphed it back to normal and tossed the Transfiguration book he had been studying into his trunk. He had thought that maybe being a metamorphmagus would make this entire process easier. If anything, it only served as a distraction.

With the book now in his trunk, Teddy supposed that was the last thing. He was officially done packing for Hogwarts. For the last time. His seventh year had crept up on him. Sure he noticed that more and more Weasley children had joined him every year, but it really did seem odd that his journey through the magical castle would end in just one year. He carefully zipped the trunk shut and stood it right side up, leaning it against the foot of his bed. He looked at himself in the mirror again. Something- fatigue probably, from trying to change his jaw line for so long- had made parts of his hair revert back to its natural black. Teddy closed his eyes and felt his face and hair morph around him. When he opened them again, he had his father's brown hair and his mother's heart shaped face. That was the look he tried to keep to at all times. The perfect mixture between his parents. Glancing down from the mirror, he saw that picture of the two of them smiling up at him. There were so few pictures of them together, and what with the war going on at the time of their marriage, Teddy was surprised they even ever got a picture together where they looked this peaceful and happy. He smiled sadly down at them but promised that he'd make the most out of his last year.

"Teddy? Are you ready?" his grandmother's voice rang from down the stairs.

Teddy snapped his attention away from the family picture. Grabbing his wand, he levitated his trunk out the door and down the stairs, landing it neatly next to his grandmother.

His grandmother certainly did not look old. Most people were surprised when she told them that Teddy was her grandson, not her son. It must have been one of those noble Black genes- always looking young, fit, beautiful, even regal. She had the perfect posture that was expected of every pureblood Black, and her hair was still a strong, very dark brown that was nowhere close to turning white anytime soon. Her eyebrows were arched down in her expecting, waiting face, but softened when she saw Teddy walk down the stairs after his trunk. She was stern with him and had sent him more than a few Howlers during his time so far at Hogwarts. She made sure not to spoil him no matter how much she wanted to. Harry did enough of that. And she was pretty sure her strict ways had paid off. Teddy had never let fame get to his head. He never boasted about having Harry Potter as a godfather. He was respectful towards adults, and most importantly, he never forgot his parents or how they had died for his future.

"Harry said he'd be here soon," Andromeda said gently. She could tell that something seemed to be bothering Teddy. No matter how much he morphed, she could always tell when he was upset. "How are you feeling? Surely not nervous- you're a seventh year now!"

"Right." Teddy lowered his head, exhaled deeply, then looked back up with a full smile across his face, letting the mild depression slip away. "Just sad to leave you again," he grinned cheekily.

"Foolish boy," Andromeda muttered, but could not help feeling tears beginning to form in her eyes. This could be the last time he lived with her… who knew what he could be doing after Hogwarts? Well the question wasn't what he _could_ be doing, but rather what he _would_ be doing. Teddy Lupin was so impossibly intelligent that he could do anything he wanted to after Hogwarts. Andromeda attributed this drive for intelligence to herself. She had similarly studied so hard during her time at Hogwarts that she had paid no attention to all those pure bloods who had tried to woo her. That, and also because ever since Teddy could talk, Andromeda had been, and she wasn't very proud to say so, but she had been constantly infusing the young boy with a fear of letting his family down. She would tell stories of his parents' heroics, of Harry's heroics, until she knew Teddy could not help but feel the pressure of having to achieve something incredible. Sure, all of the parenting books would say that was a horrible way to raise a child- that the child should choose his own path and find his own person rather than be in constant comparison with others. Andromeda disagreed. After all, she had raised arguably the most brilliant student Hogwarts had seen in a while. She would miss him oh so much. Well, there was still one more year.

Teddy wrapped his arms around his grandmother and squeezed tightly one last time before he heard the knock on the door. Andromeda opened it with a wave of her wand, and in stepped Harry Potter.

"Teddy! Ready for your last year?" Harry beamed as he gave his godson a quick hug.

"Yeah, my stuff is all down. Where is-"

"RAWR!" A blur of red hair popped out from behind Harry and attached itself to Teddy, trying to knock him down. James Potter smiled up at Teddy .

"Teddy! Teddy! I'm starting my second year. Y'know what that means?" James asked, jumping up and down.

"You finally get to try out for the Quidditch team." Teddy stated matter of factly. He had heard this all summer now.

"Yeah!" James finally released him and zoomed around the house as if on a broom. "Dad doesn't think I have enough concentration to be a Seeker. I was thinking Chaser though, wouldn't that be awesome? Or Beater. I would love to hit that Kevin Gossler right off his broom. He used to mess with my Potions stuff all last year. REVEN-"

"Alright, that's enough from you," Harry sighed, slapping a hand across James' mouth. "Get back into the car."

James seemed undeterred by his father's exasperation and charged out of the house into the Ministry car that always took the Potter and Weasley family to Kings Cross.

"Bye grandma," Teddy smiled, turning around to give her one last hug.

"Study hard," she returned. The same phrase she used every year when seeing her grandson off. Teddy proceeded to follow James to the car, levitating his suitcase in front of him.

"Bye Andromeda," Harry said, "Come over for dinner tonight. We're having a mini feast for the departure of a few of the rascals."

Andromeda nodded and closed the door as Harry left, following his godson in the Ministry car for the last year.

-v-v-v-

"Hi Teddy!" everybody inside the car greeted. You wouldn't think that many people would normally fit into the car, but of course the Ministry cars were all expanded to fit as many people as the Potters would like. Teddy hunched over and waved awkwardly as he made his way over to the last available seat next to Victoire Weasley. Her strawberry blonde hair was perfectly straight and seemed to blow glamorously in the wind every time somebody so much as took a breath. She was of course, incredibly beautiful thanks to her Veela heritage, and not so bad looks from her dad as well. She smiled welcomingly as Teddy seated himself next to her. On her other side was her father, still with long red hair and the ever present scars that made Teddy shiver every once in a while. Next to him was his wife, who was even more beautiful than her daughter and knew that her beauty surpassed anyone else's in the car, and even anyone else's who would be at Kings Cross. Next to her were Victoire's other siblings. Teddy couldn't really keep track of which year they were in, although he was pretty sure Louis wouldn't be starting for a while and that Dominique was either a second or third year. Harry scooted into the front row of the car next to James and James' white owl, Buzz. And that was it. There would be no new Weasleys or Potters joining Hogwarts this year. Teddy thought about how wide the Ministry car would have to expand by the time little Lily Potter was in Hogwarts, along with Rose, Hugo, Albus, Fred… there were always too many Weasleys running around. Teddy was suddenly glad that he would never have to experience a car full of all of them. Then he felt a bit guilty, but he was sure even Harry was not looking forward to all those chaotic car rides.

"How has your summer been, Victoire?" Teddy asked. He liked Victoire. A lot. But not in that way. In a favorite cousin sort of way. Having known Victoire for so long, he was just about immune to all of the seductive Veela ways every other boy in Hogwarts seemed to be enchanted by. She was the only Weasley that was close to his age. Sure she had been a tad annoying when she first started Hogwarts, but she stopped clinging onto Teddy almost immediately after they arrived at Kings Cross and she found her own group of friends. Since then, Victoire had been extraordinarily popular at Hogwarts- too popular for her own good, as Uncle Ron would say- and Teddy was one of the lucky few she still was able to spare time for. They had drifted apart in his fourth year, entered a somewhat awkward stage in his fifth year, but now they could look back and simply laugh. She wasn't conceited with her beauty as Dominique looked like she might turn out to be, which made girls willing to be friends with her and take beauty tips from her. And yet she was so effortlessly beautiful that boys all flaunted after her. Teddy had accidentally walked in more than once on his roommates comparing all of the Hogwarts girls, always placing Victoire at the top. Teddy reasonably did not participate in these kinds of activities. He hadn't seen Victoire all summer, since she had been in France visiting her mother's side of the family.

"Great. Really great. I missed you though."

"Ooooh!" James cooed from the front seat, turning around and glancing between Teddy and Victoire eagerly. Victoire gave him one of her evil Veela stares that made him pout and turn around. They let the grownups talk amongst themselves for the rest of the car ride, knowing they had a full year, albeit the last year, ahead of them.


	2. Turquoise

"Ooh, Victoire, don't forget zis!" Fleur cried anxiously on the platform in front of the Hogwarts Express, reaching into Victoire's bag and pulling out a pin. She beamed as she fastened the Prefect pin onto Victoire's clothes. "So very proud of you!"

Victoire smiled sheepishly, glancing at Teddy as if urging him to get her mother away from her. "Mum, it goes on my robes, I was going to put it on when we changed…"

"Oh, you too Teddy!" Fleur insisted as she began groping through his belongings and pockets. A few seventh year Hufflepuff friends of Teddy's raised their eyebrows as they saw the beautiful woman trying to stick her hand into his pants pockets. Teddy quickly morphed away his flush before Bill, or worse, Victoire, noticed. "Aha!" Fleur exclaimed triumphantly, pulling out the Head Boy badge and fastening it onto Teddy's shirt, beaming.

"Ah, thank you Aunt Fleur…" Teddy smiled weakly as he and Victoire exchanged embarrassed looks.

"Teddy," Harry murmured, placing a hand on Teddy's shoulder before he let him enter the Hogwarts Express. He seemed to do this every year. It became tradition to give some words of advice before the term started. He had already held James back and had only just let him scamper onto the train to find his Gryffindor friends.

"There's a new Transfiguration teacher this year," Harry began. Teddy did not hide his shock. He was really looking forward to having McGonagall for his last year. "McGonagall decided that she couldn't handle being both Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor much longer. There are rumors she'll completely retire by next year. It's a shame Albus will never be able to have her…" Harry's eyes glazed over as he recalled his memories of his head of house.

"Who is the new Professor then?" Teddy prompted. He was always afraid the train would leave before Harry was finished with his talks.

"Right. A bloke named Nover. I knew him a bit- he worked at the Ministry for the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He's really not much older than I am. The point is, I think it'd be a good idea for you to talk about your… you know. If it ever bothers you that much again."

Teddy unconsciously grew his hair longer so it'd cover his eyes as he looked away. He was taller than Harry now, so it wasn't hard to avoid his gaze. "Right," he murmured, "I'll keep that in mind."

"How was last night?" Harry continued. He really was cutting it close as the train began to make loud noises.

"It was fine. Really. Don't worry about it," Teddy's hair was now almost completely covering his eyes so he only had to look at bits of Harry through his strands of hair. "It's always fine when I'm at home."

"Okay then. That gives you an excuse to visit your grandmother more often then, hm? She's going to miss you so much…"

"Yeah, yeah, listen the train is about to leave…"

"Oh right, so sorry! Gosh I feel like Molly now… Have a great year, Teddy. Don't go chasing around too many girls." Harry placed both hands around Teddy's arms and looked straight into his eyes. "If you ever need anything, you know I'm here."

Teddy nodded and managed one last smile before bounding onto the train right as the wheels began turning.

-v-v-v-

The feast was amazing as always. _The last one_, Teddy thought to himself. His fellow seventh years at the Gryffindor table didn't seem to be thinking the same thing as they wolfed down their meal, hardly stopping to savor the taste.

"What do you think of the new guy?" Mike Cordero, one of Teddy's best friends asked. Mike was slim yet muscular with incredibly fast reflexes. His skin was tan from his rumored Colombian heritage that made his teeth appear all the more white in contrast. In other words, he was the perfect Quidditch heartthrob, always making the girls sigh in unison as he zoomed past them on his broom, Quaffle in hand. He was unsurprisingly captain this year. Teddy had a feeling James would cling around him even more this year just to try to get on Mike's good side.

"He looks decent," Teddy replied. Nover was sitting at the Professors table. Harry was right- he looked very young, but possibly only because he was next to a very old, aging Flitwick. He was clean shaven and had a very full head of rich dark brown hair. He was slender but had a very noticeable scar starting at his neck, and ending somewhere under his robes. _Probably from controlling all those magical creatures,_ Teddy thought.

"Oh yes, very decent looking," Mary Edgecombe sighed as she and her friends ogled at the new Professor.

"Seriously?" Mike gagged. Teddy was pretty sure he was just jealous he wouldn't be getting all the female attention anymore. Down the table Victoire's distinctive laugh rang out and Teddy saw that her friends were also staring up at the new Professor. _Oh, not her too…_ But she wasn't in the same situation as Mike. There was still nobody at Hogwarts who could compare to her beauty. Except maybe Dominique, but she was much too young to steal the attention from her sister at the moment. Teddy observed the new first years, all nervously chewing at the magically appeared food as they exchanged awkward conversations. He caught a few of the Ravenclaw first years pointing at him. This happened every year. They were undoubtedly saying something about Harry Potter's godson. He got considerably less attention after James entered the school. Which was good, because Teddy never liked the attention while James basked in it. He could see James at the other side of the Gryffindor table making sharp movements, obviously mimicking a Quidditch move for his friends. Closing his eyes, Teddy changed his hair turquoise and watched with amusement as one of the Ravenclaw first years fell out of his seat. Probably a muggle born.

"Show off," Mike scoffed.

"Turquoise looks good on you, Teddy," Mary said playfully. There wasn't anything flirtatious about it. Mary had become one of Teddy's good friends throughout the seven years. Sure they may or may not have dated back in their fourth year, but those awkward days were thankfully over. As seventh year students they had their eyes set on more important things. Careers. NEWTS. Those kinds of things. But it was still good to think about the small things once in a while. Teddy personally also thought turquoise was one of his favorites. At the beginning, he always had his hair turquoise since that was the color his hair was in the picture his father had carried into the final Battle of Hogwarts. And in some childish way he thought if he didn't keep his hair turquoise, his parents might not recognize him the day he did join them. But now, he liked the way it popped out in a crowd. Maybe that's why his mother liked having her hair pink. He felt a sudden pang of loneliness as he thought about his parents, but quickly reverted back to his jovial self when Mike flung a drumstick into his absent minded face. It was good to have friends. Better to have parents, but still. Friends were good.


	3. Trust

"Get up, Lupin; you're going to be late to your first class of the year." Teddy could hear Mike's voice dragging him out of his peaceful sleep. He had forgotten how comfortable his bed in the Gryffindor Tower was. He gently hoisted his body out of the warm covers, only to have the Transfiguration book he had been studying through the night fall off his chest. He must have fallen asleep while reading.

"What a nerd, studying already?" Mike groaned. He was never the best academically, and would rather be hit by bludgers on the Quidditch field than be studying in the library. "What is this? This wasn't on our supplies list…"

"Give that back…" Teddy grunted. With a wave of his wand, he snatched the book out of Mike's hands and shoved it into his bag. "C'mon, let's go."

-v-v-v-

Teddy entered the NEWT level Potions class without Mike. Mike really hated everything about Potions. Although he claimed that he had no interest in any career involving Potions, Teddy and everybody else knew he probably did not pass his Potions OWL. Yawning, Teddy slid into the seat next to his true best friend at Hogwarts- Eric Flint.

Eric was incredibly skinny- even skinnier than Harry had been when he was their age. On top of that, his eyes were sunk in and his cheekbones incredibly high, making his cheeks sink into his face as well. It gave him a constant look of being hungry- from hungry to food to hungry for power. His hair was always slicked back, not helping in adding any dimension to his physical appearance. When he smiled, you could see every white tooth a bit too clearly that it was almost unnerving. He was also taller than Teddy, which really gave him an awkward frame to walk around in, being so tall and skinny. Oh, and he was a Slytherin. He wasn't one of those crazy pureblood ones. In fact, Teddy was pretty sure his father was a muggle, but that his mother was a very powerful witch. His being in a different house made situations awkward when Teddy preferred to hang out with him over Mike, but Teddy had first met Eric on the train as first years, and they had never grown apart since. They had bonded over their mutual desire to do something great for the Wizarding World. He really was the perfect Slytherin. He could talk his way out of any of the situations he and Teddy always found themselves in while sneaking around Hogwarts. He was so cunning that once he convinced Professor Slughorn that he had completely missed teaching a chapter in the textbook, making the class unable to turn in the assigned paper. And he was so very ambitious. More so than Teddy, who strived to be just as remarkable as his parents and his godfather. Eric knew he'd join the Ministry after Hogwarts, and had high hopes of being named Minister of Magic one day. One might say that Eric was heartlessly ambitious, and Teddy would have agreed, except for the fact that Eric had a girlfriend who he loved and adored more than anything. Teddy was always confused on how their relationship worked. She was the nicest, most well-meaning Hufflepuff in their year, and their personalities contrasted so sharply, yet they had been dating since they were both third years.

"Any success over the summer?" Eric greeted Teddy quietly, pushing his bag aside so that Teddy would have room to sit.

"Not at all. I read all the books and everything. It's bloody impossible."

"Same with me. But I figured, this year we're NEWT students. It wouldn't be too difficult getting a pass to the Restricted section. You in?"

"Yeah, definitely," Teddy nodded firmly just as class started. With Eric's quick tongue, they probably could have gotten into the Restricted section years ago, but they had not really been interested in the matter until the end of last year. The first day of Potions was pretty easy, with Slughorn only having his students brew some of the potions he went over last year as a review. Eric was always better than Teddy at Potions, which was more than fine since Teddy tended to ask him for help.

After exchanging a few kind words with Professor Slughorn involving the status of certain members of Teddy's extended family, Teddy left the Potions room to get to his Transfiguration class. He walked with Eric, who seemed excited to meet the new Transfiguration teacher.

"I mean, McGonagall was great and all, but you have to admit she was getting up there and her lectures were starting to be a drag to listen to…" Eric said as he walked down the hall in long strides.

"Yeah, I guess," Teddy mumbled, flicking his brown hair out of his eyes.

"Right. Sorry. Didn't mean to offend McGonagall's favorite student," Eric snickered. Teddy gave him a quick shove. It was kind of true though. Teddy was good at Transfiguration. Really good. It was his favorite subject, so he always put in all the effort into it. Being a metamorphmagus, he always found the concept of changing one object to another truly magical. For better or for worse. He thought of the night sky with a single full moon illuminating it as still hundreds of wizards and witches had their bodies transformed from normal to beasts they had no control of… He brushed the thought out of his mind. He had dedicated himself to Transfiguration class so vigorously in order so that one day maybe he could change that, and McGonagall very much liked his dedication. It helped that she was always sympathetic regarding his parents as well. So maybe he was a little bitter that some new guy had replaced her.

"Hey guys!" Mike ran over to them as he also headed to the same Transfiguration class. He squeezed his large frame through the crowd of Ravenclaw second years that seemed to have just left Transfiguration class. Every year the halls seemed to get narrower as more students filled Hogwarts. It was true that Teddy's year was one of the smallest Hogwarts had seen in decades, considering that the war was in full motion when Teddy was born. Every year since then had more and more students. The Ministry was already calling it a baby boom.

Eric and Teddy both greeted Mike as he finally bulldozed over the Ravenclaws. "So listen, Teddy," Mike panted, placing one arm around Teddy's shoulder. Teddy eyed the arm suspiciously. Mike clearly wanted something from him. "I was wondering… do you mind if I ask Victoire out?"

Eric snickered to the side as Teddy sighed. Mike glared at the Slytherin but seemed to flush a bit. This must have been on his mind for a while.

"Why are you asking for my permission? I don't own her," Teddy said. He was kind of annoyed though, but wasn't really sure why. Maybe because he knew she'd hardly have any time for him this year as it was. But more likely because he was annoyed that the boys in the school seemed to see Victoire as some sort of trophy that would automatically up their popularity if obtained, rather than as an independent, intelligent human being. Even Mike, who Teddy loved as a friend since their first year at Hogwarts, seemed to only be attracted to females in general based on beauty.

"Well I mean you're really close to her. I know you're not technically family but you pretty much are…" Mike rambled, "I wouldn't want it to be awkward between us, you know?" He patted Teddy's shoulder with the strategically placed arm.

"You know she has a boyfriend right now, right?" Eric chirped in. He and Mike weren't exactly enemies or friends. More like acquaintances that were forced to hang out with each other because of Teddy's inability to pick between them.

"Yeah, that Davis guy? He's nothing special. On the Quidditch field anyway. I mean, if they break up I just wanted to be able to ask her right away before anyone else does so I wanted to get your agreement first, Teddy."

"Rebound much?" Eric scoffed.

"Oh shut up you know nothing about this kind of stuff. You've had the same girlfriend for almost four years."

"So clearly I know _something_ about handling relationships."

"Alright, be quiet you two," Teddy grimaced exasperatingly. "Yes Mike, you can ask Victoire if you like, though it was never my permission to give."

Mike beamed and quickly retrieved his arm from Teddy's shoulder as they all made their way into the Transfiguration room. Their talking must have slowed them down because almost all of the chairs were already full. Eric glided into a seat next to his aforementioned girlfriend while the beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team seemed to have saved a seat for Mike. Teddy looked around the room until he saw the empty chair next to the Gryffindor Head Girl, Priya. As he slid into the seat next to her, he silently reprimanded himself for completely forgetting that he was Head Boy. He had not even remembered to wear his badge today. Just as he sat down, Professor Nover burst into the classroom.

The door flung open as he walked briskly into the room holding what looked like a Potions vial. With grandiose movement, he uncapped the vial, tilted his head up so that it was almost horizontal, and downed the potion. Teddy had to admit that he knew how to make an entrance. The Professor lowered his head again, grimacing from what must have been the after taste of the potion before smiling brightly. He definitely did have the energy that McGonagall was lacking. He noticed Priya and many other girls in the room give small smiles to each other at Nover's wide smile that showed off his perfect teeth. _He seems like a Gilderoy Lockhart_, Teddy scowled to himself, remembering the stories Ron used to tell him.

"Veritaserum," Nover nodded firmly. Teddy could not help but to notice that from his seat in the front of the room, he could clearly see that Nover's scar that started at his neck seemed much deeper than it had appeared in the Great Hall. He snapped his attention back to what Nover was saying. Veritaserum? Why would a teacher inject himself with the truth telling potion?

"I want to establish a trust between us. I know I'm that new teacher who is following the wonderful Professor McGonagall. So I'm only doing this for you seventh years. I want you to trust me with your NEWT level education. You have five minutes- oh, actually only four minutes now, to ask me whatever you want, and you have my oath on this potion that what I tell you is the truth. So, ask away." He raised an expecting eyebrow as the seventh years seemed too stunned by his behavior to even ask a question.

"Time is running low…" Nover smiled, a finger tapping his watch.

Someone in the back raised her hand. "Which house were you in at Hogwarts?"

"Ravenclaw," he answered immediately.

There was a short pause, before somebody else asked, "What did you do before coming here to teach?"

"I worked at the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." He seemed to unconsciously scratch his scar.

"What division?" Teddy asked without raising his hand.

Nover flicked his eyes over to Teddy and stared straight into his eyes. His eyes seemed a bit foggy yet still bore into Teddy's. Oh yes, he was most definitely under the effects of Veritaserum. "Beast. More specifically, werewolves." His eyes held their contact with Teddy's until Teddy began to feel uncomfortable and forced himself to look away. He saw Eric's brief knowing glance in his direction.

"Where did you get that wicked scar?" a Hufflepuff asked. It had been Teddy's next question.

"Werewolf attack." Teddy instinctively flinched as Priya gave him a concerned look.

"Are you a werewolf?" a Ravenclaw demanded. Oh how Teddy hated that tone the boy had taken. So condescending, so judgmental… he shivered but was careful to be more discreet about it before Priya could notice.

"No." Something about the relief in the students' faces around him made Teddy want to hex them all. He even had his hand on his wand before he saw Mike's look that told him not to do anything stupid.

"Are you single?" The tension that Teddy had felt immediately loosened as the class chuckled and Nover gave a small smile.

"Yes." The questions quickly took a turn away from the serious.

"Who is the most attractive Professor currently at Hogwarts?" Mike asked smugly. The whole class burst into laughter and even Teddy felt himself relax and smile. He knew Mike had asked in order to calm Teddy down.

"Professor Rhinehart," Nover said without missing a beat. The whole class erupted then into fits of laughter. Of course, that really was the only respectable answer Nover could have given. Professor Rhinehart was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that had started teaching after the Battle of Hogwarts and had been teaching since. One wouldn't exactly call her beautiful, but she was definitely above average and the only one close to Nover's age. The rest of the female Professors were around McGonagall's age. Sprout was gone, replaced by Professor Longbottom, Trelawney and Sinistra still seemed to haunt the castle with their ghostly appearances… yes, Rhinehart was definitely the right choice.

"Is it against your morals to date students?" a cheeky Gryffindor girl asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Absolutely."

As the class laughed again, Nover closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, they seemed to look less fogged up.

"Alright, that's five minutes. I hope you had fun. Now before you go running off to Professor Rhinehart telling her that I'm madly in love with her…" he waved his wand at the chalkboard and instantly the whole board filled up with notes, "Let's do some learning."


	4. Hello, Goodbye

"Hello, Teddy."

A graceful Victoire Weasley sat down in the seat next to Teddy in the library after dinner one Tuesday night a few weeks into the school year. Teddy had been reading the books Eric had pulled from the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library while Eric copiously took notes in the seat across from him. Teddy noticed the flush that appeared on Eric's face as Victoire greeted him as well. He just seemed glad that his girlfriend wasn't there to see the very obvious red tint against his normally pale face. Victoire had that effect on all of Teddy's friends no matter how in love they were with some other girl.

"Hey Teddy, I'm going to uh, return this one. It really has nothing about…" Eric's voice broke off as he quickly left the table and seemed to take longer than usual strides across the library.

Victoire sighed. "I really didn't want him to go. Oh gosh, I'm sorry if I made things awkward…" She began to stand up before Teddy grabbed her hand to make her sit back down. He never really noticed how warm her hands always were. He guiltily shook the thought out of his mind as he realized his fingers may have lingered too long on her wrist.

"What's up?" Teddy asked. He morphed his hair brown again just to make sure it wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary.

"Well we haven't really talked since prior to the Hogwarts Express. I wanted to catch up," she smiled. "Oh, and I was wondering if you'd help me with my Transfiguration essay due next week…" she added with a sly smile.

"Oh. So that's the real reason why," Teddy muttered, feigning hurt.

"Of course not, Teddy! You know I love talking to you. But Transfiguration and I don't get along. I hate its guts and it calls me fat. But anyway, I'm free next Wednesday…" she hinted.

"Fine, fine. I am at your service," Teddy said more with amusement than anything else.

Victoire beamed. "I'll have to keep in mind not to come talk to you and Eric when his girlfriend is around though."

"It's fine. Meghan is literally the most understanding and forgiving person in Britain. She could catch Eric half naked with Trelawney and believe that she just needed his bare chest to tell the future."

Victoire laughed- a laugh that had a way of piercing the air before dying back down. Madame Pince peered over her counter with a raised eyebrow as Teddy smiled apologetically to her.

"I really do not want to imagine that," Victoire said, still giggling, "He's cute though."

"Who?" Teddy asked while closing his book. He could always read another time- he had forgotten how nice it was to talk to his favorite Weasley.

"Eric!"

"E-Eric?" Teddy asked incredulously. They had both leaned closer to each other to avoid being overheard. Teddy glanced over his shoulder at where Eric had disappeared and noticed that he had come back out, only to turn around, run his hand through his slicked back hair, and awkwardly go back into the Restricted Section after seeing Victoire still occupying Teddy's table. "I always thought he kind of looked like… a ferret."

Victoire giggled again, flipping her perfect hair over her shoulder with a mere twitch of her head. The scent of her hair traveling through the air reminded Teddy of the always crowded Burrow where Molly would be cooking up a storm.

"I don't mean physically," Victoire said softly, "But I mean, the way he treats Meghan. It's absolutely adorable. She could be the Queen of England and she wouldn't get better treatment than from him. It'd just be nice to be in a relationship that wasn't so… physical."

Teddy raised an eyebrow.

"Oh I don't mean like _that_," Victoire said, horrified. "Never mind. I'll stop talking about the crush I used to have on your best friend back in my third year." She smiled cheekily at Teddy.

"How are things between you and Davis?"

"Oh, they're alright. I'm seeing him later tonight." Teddy couldn't help but notice that her tone seemed a bit uneasy. "And you and Jackie?"

He suddenly felt his stomach fall as all the color drained out of his face. He wouldn't be surprised if his hair was turning white too. Jackie…

"What's wrong?" Victoire asked. She had made herself comfortable at the desk with her head in her hand as her elbow leaned on a stack of Teddy's books.

"I… uh… oh Merlin this is bad."

"What?"

"I might have forgotten I was dating her?" Teddy spared a glimpse at Victoire who immediately burst out laughing, much to Madame Pince's displeasure.

"You haven't talked to her at all this year?"

"Well I wasn't really sure if we broke up at the end of last year. She was being so vague about it and I had to go pack… But she did write to me over the summer."

"Did you write back?"

"No… I was busy! I had a lot of books to read…"

"What, like this one?" Victoire picked up a book that she had been using as an elbow rest. "Animagi: The Easy Way. Teddy, what the hell is this?"

Teddy was pretty sure the roots of his hair were turning red. "Nothing. Don't worry about it." He grabbed the book from her hand as well as the rest of the stack of books from the Restricted Section and shoved them into his bag.

She shook her head. "Right. I'll pretend I never saw that. But Teddy…" her blue eyes looked straight into his, "Please don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah. I won't. You know me," he gave Victoire his best smile which she ignored with a roll of her eyes.

"So um, I'm just going to get out of this seat now…" Victoire mumbled, her eyes suddenly alert.

"Wait, don't go yet-" he tried to grab her wrist again but she snatched it away before he could. She leaned in ever so slightly and whispered, "Look to your seven o'clock. Good luck." She then glided back to the table where the rest of her sixth year friends were.

Teddy slowly turned around. If his hair wasn't white before, it definitely was now. His "girlfriend" stood behind him with an expecting smile that really did not look like a smile at all.

"Hi Teddy," Jackie Pinsky glared before taking the seat Victoire had just vacated. Teddy noticed that Eric had once again left the Restricted Section, only to awkwardly turn back again. Oh how Teddy wished Eric would just come back.

"Hi Jackie. How are you?" Teddy said as calmly as he could, morphing his hair to a much calmer brown.

"Why didn't you reply to any of my letters over the summer?" she asked almost innocently. Jackie was a Ravenclaw seventh year with incredibly plump lips and a fairly nice face to go with it. She and Teddy had started dating only about two weeks before their sixth year had ended, but apparently she had wanted more than two weeks.

"Oh, uh, _letters?_" Teddy asked, feigning surprise, "I never got any! Did you really write to me?"

"You mean, you didn't reply to my letters because you didn't get them?"

"Er, yeah."

"Well I guess my owl is getting pretty old…"

"Yes, yes, she is, isn't she? I've heard barn owls tend to get a bit dazed sooner than a lot of the other owl species…"

"Aw, Teddy Lupin! You remembered my owl was a barn owl?" Jackie smiled. Was he really pulling this off? She seemed willing to forget and forgive… Teddy only knew it was a barn owl because he still had very vivid images of the owl pecking at his face waiting for his reply.

"Of _course_, Jackie," Teddy smiled warmly. "And you're probably wondering why I didn't talk to you during classes before this…" In all honesty, Teddy had not noticed her in his classes. "It's because I thought you didn't write to me so you didn't want to talk to me anymore, and I was feeling so miserable about it that I avoided you." He must have picked up some of the slick talking from Eric. Well, he thought it sounded pretty smooth anyway.

"Oh Teddy, you are so _sweet!_" She melted into his arms and buried her head in his shoulder. Teddy saw Victoire look over completely surprised, and Teddy felt pretty much the same way. Suddenly Teddy felt Jackie's bushy hair brush against his face as he felt her teeth bite his ear playfully. "Let's go somewhere… more private," she whispered alluringly. Teddy felt his face burn while his hair inconveniently went to match the color of his cheeks as Jackie dragged him out of the library. He barely had enough time to pull out his wand and summon his bag of books into his hand.

She dragged him into the empty corridor outside the library. Most of the students were either in the library or had returned to their common rooms by now. Victoire would probably have to go meet Davis soon. Teddy had no idea why that was his thought as his girlfriend pushed him into a broom cupboard and began to attack his lips with her own plump ones. _Oh goodness, this girl might be crazy_, Teddy thought desperately to himself, but could not say he minded when she peeled off the outer layer of his robes and flung it to the side of the cupboard along with Teddy's bag of books. She was kissing him with so much force that he almost could not feel the rest of his body, except for her hands reaching under his dress shirt, down his chest, past his stomach, until…

"Ow!" Teddy grimaced as her hand ended up in sharp contact with his face instead of where he was expecting it.

"Teddy Lupin, you are such a _jerk!_" Jackie hissed, pointing her wand at him in the dark broom cupboard. "Do you really think I'm that _stupid?_" She slapped him again. "You don't write to me all summer, you don't talk to me in classes, you're trying to hold Victoire Weasley's hand before I come, and then your hair turns white when you see me! You know what, I don't feel sorry about this at all. _Petrificus Totalus!_"

Teddy felt his body stiffen and fall against the door of the closet. Jackie casually opened the door, letting his body slide face down to the ground into the hallway. Before stepping over him into the hall, she grabbed his bag and dumped all of the books over his half exposed body. Teddy could feel the sharp pain as the edges of the books jabbed him in his bare back.

"Goodbye, Teddy."


	5. Shining

Now Teddy was in a very uncomfortable position. His chin was digging into the relentlessly hard stone floor while a book or two had corners inconveniently prodding the skin on his back. His arms limped uselessly at his side with his wand only a few unreachable inches away. He quickly thought about his options. One. Face public humiliation of being seen almost completely undressed falling out of a broom closet. That was clearly what Jackie wanted. He could not say that he didn't deserve it. Two. Hope that Victoire had not gone on her date with Davis yet and that she would come out of the library and unpetrify him. Did he want her to see him like this? Of course not. But better her than… well practically anyone else in the school. Mike would never let him forget it. And he could never tell what Eric was thinking. He'd be subjected to random snickerings. Three. Wait for the effects of the spell to wear off and quickly dress himself and organize his books. That was the best option for him, though also the least likely, considering that he could already hear footsteps from around the corner. Maybe a ghost would help. Teddy quickly dismissed that thought as he imagined Peeves finding him and telling the entire school… oh that was definitely the worst option. Teddy braced himself (but not really since he really could not move any of his limbs) as the footsteps' owner made itself known.

"Lupin?" Teddy rolled his eyes over to the side as much as he could to try to identify the voice. Professor Nover. Oh goodness, he had not even thought of the possibility that a teacher would find him. He always thought they disappeared after classes into their own worlds. And the books on top of him… they'd find how he was trying to become an Animagus, and illegally of all things… He saw Nover's feet first, then his face as he bent down. Teddy found himself annoyed, especially at the smirk Nover had playing across his mouth. His classmates loved the new Transfiguration teacher. Almost every class after that first had had the same energy and excitement. Yet for some reason Teddy could not bring himself to like him as much as everyone else did.

"What is this?" Nover asked, picking up one of the books off Teddy's back. It felt good to finally have that pressure off, but dread washed over him as the Professor held the book from the Restricted Section. Nover seemed to realize that Teddy could not respond with the spell still on him, and undid the petrification with a flick of his wand. Teddy immediately leapt up and clothed himself as he tried to gather his books back. Nover raised an eyebrow at the book he was holding. One of the Animagus books.

"Uh, that's nothing. Pleasure reading," Teddy lied and knew the Professor could tell. "My dad's friends were all Animagi, so I thought it'd be interesting to read more about them…"

"This is a very clear guide on how to actually become one. It seems like you skipped the chapter on registering with the Ministry first," Nover noted at the lack of bookmarks sticking out of the first few chapters. Teddy flushed. He could really use Eric's smooth talking right now. However, the Transfiguration Professor's voice was still calm and steady. Maybe he could get away with this. But Nover still held onto the book tightly.

"Come see me next Wednesday in my office after dinner, Lupin." Nover stood up, and to Teddy's surprise, dropped the book at Teddy's feet.

"Er, is that a detention, sir?"

"Something like that."

"Because I actually have something to do next Wednesday-" Teddy began, with Victoire's Transfiguration essay on his mind.

"Okay then. Yes, it is a mandatory detention. Cancel whatever else you had."

Teddy groaned as Nover began to walk away.

"Also, Mr. Lupin, may I ask you… how did you end up in that position?" Nover had returned along with his smirk.

"Er, girl troubles," Teddy mumbled.

"Right. Good luck with that," Nover laughed and walked away for good this time.

Teddy was annoyed to say the least. He straightened his robes and peered back into the broom cupboard to make sure he had not left anything behind. He thought about returning to the library, but decided he did not exactly want to talk to anyone at the moment. So he began to walk back to the Gryffindor Tower, rubbing his chin to try to dull the pain from prolonged contact with a stone floor. He redid his morph just in case. Hardly anyone had ever seen his real features, and he had no desire to show it now. He figured he could avoid Jackie and her Ravenclaw friends back in his common room, though he could not be sure if she had already spread the rumor that he was an awful human being. Okay, so it was kind of his fault that he never wrote back to her. And that he tried to cover it up and take advantage of her forgiveness in a broom cupboard. He unconsciously rubbed his chin again. He deserved that Petrificus Totalus. He was sure his grandmother and every other female in his extended family would agree. But did she really have to dump all of his bag's contents on top of him? And did Nover really have to be the one to discover them?

As he ran through his head all of the ways karma was being too mean to him, he saw a classroom door open with a bang and a man run out. Teddy stopped briefly, partially because he was curious, but more so because he needed to go past the classroom to return to the Tower.

"Get _out!_" a female voice from inside the classroom shrieked. Teddy almost thought she may have been addressing him, considering the rest of the grievances he had caused women that day. But the man who had run out of the classroom seemed to take the order and bolted past Teddy. The man had run too quickly for Teddy to actually see who he was, but the female at the door was very familiar.

"Victoire?" Teddy said slowly. He had not recognized the shriek, which surprised him because he had been yelled at by her more than few times. He slowly closed the distance between himself and the now empty classroom as he tried to read Victoire's expression.

He had never seen her unhinged. He could practically see where the bird beak and scaly wings would form on her body if she had been a full Veela. Her normally perfect hair was ruffled and looked more like it had the ability to explode than to seduce a man. And those tranquil blue eyes gleamed like daggers drilling themselves into the man who had run away. Teddy could only assume it was Davis.

She finally looked up. "Teddy…" she murmured. Her eyes softened considerably and her face relaxed from bird like to almost normal. So much so that had Teddy not seen her only a few moments earlier, he would have thought she was just very tired. Her ability to control how her face appeared really rivaled Teddy's. He tried to take another step closer, but she immediately turned around and swiftly returned to the classroom. She had not closed the door behind her, so Teddy slipped in surprisingly gracefully considering his normal clumsiness.

"Are you alright, Victoire?" Teddy asked gently, slowly making his way around the classroom. She was sitting on a desk at the other end of the classroom with her eyes gazing through the window at the now very dark sky. He hopped onto the adjacent desk and joined her gazing. The stars were all very clear that night. His grandmother had taught him how to spot the constellations. Actually, she had only taught him how to spot Andromeda. He saw it right above the Gryffindor Tower. To the left, right above the Forbidden Forest, the half-moon shined down, making the other stars pale in comparison. Teddy sighed inwardly as he realized the full moon could only be about two weeks away. Of course Teddy would not be turning into a wolf. But still every full moon he managed to make himself feel absolutely miserable while still maintaining human shape.

"I wish…" Victoire began. She brought her knees onto the desk and hugged them, almost looking like a first year again. "I wish I could morph like you."

"Why would you want that?" Teddy could hardly see how the reason for her anger was her inability to morph.

"So I wouldn't have to look like… this." She flicked her hand in the air as if to signify her whole body.

"You know there are girls who have told me they wished they could morph so they could look like… that." Teddy flicked his hand in the same manner.

"Oh, yes, sometimes it's nice to be the center of male attention." She pushed her legs off the desk and began smoothing out her hair. "But to have it all the time… You begin to wonder why people talk to you. Are they honestly enjoying what you're saying? Or do they just want to tell their buddies that they have a part Veela girlfriend?" She wrinkled her nose, clearly thinking about Davis. She suddenly whipped her head around to stare at Teddy.

"Haven't you ever wondered if people talk to you because you're Harry Potter's godson, or if they actually want to get to know you?" Her eyes stared into his. He couldn't help but notice that against the night sky, her eyes could have outshone the moon. Teddy looked away. He had to admit that he had that thought every time Slughorn bothered to talk to him after class.

"Yeah, well you figure that eventually the ones who truly want to be your friends stick around, and the ones who don't must get tired of talking to you eventually," Teddy shrugged. Although he was pretty sure that Slughorn still made a very strong effort to keep in touch with Harry no matter how many of the same letters he sent back saying that yes, his wife and kids were fine.

Victoire bit her lip but seemed to accept the idea. She relaxed a bit. "Right. After a few broken hearts, the right one will come, right?"

"Er, yeah I guess," Teddy attempted a smile but was pretty sure he was just baring his teeth at her. She laughed. Not as piercing as normal, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

"I see you and Jackie do not have any relationship problems, judging by how she dragged you out of the library."

Teddy felt his lower neck region grow warmer. He had almost forgotten about that embarrassment. "Actually, we broke up. And I got a detention."

"Now how did that happen, Head Boy?"

"Er, long story. But it's for next Wednesday…"

"Oh." Victoire's eyes fell.

"But it's okay. Listen, curfew isn't for another…" Teddy glanced at his watch. A very scratched, but always reliable watch he had received on his seventeenth birthday that once belonged to his father. "Another… two hours. I figure you're not on your date anymore, so if you want to get it done now…"

Victoire smiled, already summoning her Transfiguration book and parchment over to the desk. "Thanks so much, Teddy."

"Yeah, sure, no problem." He cracked open her textbook and began skimming the chapter, but when he looked up he found that Victoire's facial expressions had once again rearranged themselves. Her mouth was partially opened and her eyes wide, as if she had either just seen Moaning Myrtle frolicking happily through the classroom.

"You okay?" Teddy asked, concerned.

"Yeah. Yes. Perfectly fine," she said softly as she leaned over to start her essay.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I really appreciate the reviews I have gotten so far! But as JK Rowling said today during the UK premiere of DH2, "No story lives unless someone wants to listen." I am literally doing nothing all summer before I leave for college, so basically to get more chapters, leave more reviews and I'll force myself to stop bumming and write. There's a direct correlation. I know, I took Statistics. Okay, good night.


	6. Stubborn

"Teddy, Teddy, please you gotta help me."

Teddy woke up the following weekend to a ball of red hair jumping on his bed. Had he been staying over at Harry's or the Burrow, he would have had immense trouble identifying which red head was kicking his stomach. But the only one at Hogwarts it could have been was James Potter.

"Whaddaya want?" Teddy groaned, turning to his side and checking his watch. 8AM. Far too early to be awake on a weekend.

"Quidditch tryouts are today," James moaned.

"Yeah, so? You've been looking forward to this day for years." Teddy quickly placed a silencing charm on his bed so as not to disturb his other roommates. He doubted that James wanted to get on Mike's bad side on the day of Quidditch tryouts.

"What if… I don't make it?" James looked up at Teddy from under his messy red hair and suddenly Teddy realized that he must have suffered from the same inferiority complex Teddy had always suffered from growing up knowing his parents and godfather were war heroes. Of course Teddy knew James received a lot of attention for being Harry Potter's son, but he always seemed to revel in it. But now was the first time he really felt he had to prove himself. His father had been the star Quidditch Captain, and his mother had even gone on to play professionally. And for the first time, Teddy saw that James Potter was scared.

"Listen, James, you'll do great. Beyond great. I've seen you fly- you're incredible," Teddy yawned out the compliments, hoping that was all James needed to go back to his own dormitory.

"Practice with me."

"What?"

"Tryouts are at 10, that gives me two hours to practice and get warmed up… please, Teddy."

"You know I'm no good at Quidditch." It was true. Apparently his clumsiness on ground translated over to in flight as well.

"Better than Victoire and Dominique…" James said darkly. "Please? I've never felt this nervous before…"

Teddy sighed. He was already awake enough that he couldn't fall back asleep if he tried. And he figured falling off a broom would be no new sensation for his body. And the desperation in James' voice…

"Alright, let's go."

-v-v-v-

"Not bad, Lupin," Victoire smiled dazzlingly as Teddy made his way through the stands. He had humored James for two hours of having a Quaffle pegged at him until he could not quite feel his arms anymore. Finally, when the clock struck 10, James had turned white and dismissed Teddy. Teddy hadn't fallen completely off the broom this time, and actually managed to block a few of James' poorer placed shots.

"Thanks," Teddy grumbled, tracing the very clear sarcasm in Victoire's voice. The cool metal seats felt very nice against his skin after that workout.

"Come to see the Quidditch tryouts?" Mike hopped down the stands until he reached Teddy, and ultimately, Victoire. He seemed to have wanted to make the grandest entrance he could, and Teddy had to admit that he did look like an admirable Quidditch Captain with his robes billowing in the wind. Teddy smiled to himself as he saw right through the wind charm Mike had put on his robes, for there definitely was not any wind going through Teddy, who was right next to him.

"Yes, my cousin would kill me if I didn't come see him play," Victoire said without much exaggeration. Even Dominique had forced herself up and was sitting with her Gryffindor friends of her own year.

"Well then," Mike flashed his perfect white teeth and bent over, placing an arm around Victoire. Teddy acknowledged that he was doing a pretty good job with the casual flirting. "Which one is your cousin?"

Teddy snorted but quickly looked away when Mike glared at him. The whole Wizarding World knew who Victoire's cousin was.

"That one. Over there. With the red hair," she smiled, tilting her head up and batting her eyelashes. Teddy looked away, his flirting tolerating capacity about to explode.

"Well let's see how he does then," Mike winked before hopping onto his broom and flying to the field. That was when Teddy knew that no matter how badly James played, he was on the team.

There weren't many other people out watching the tryouts except friends or relatives of the students trying out. Dominique's friends seemed to be bored with the idea of flying brooms, and had returned to the castle. She joined Teddy and her sister shortly, flipping her perfect hair, and sliding her arm through Victoire's. Before James' turn- he looked almost like he wanted to throw up- he glanced over at his three relatives. Teddy screwed his eyes and morphed his hair red and gold. James smiled weakly before taking off into the air. Once there, he seemed to have lost all nervousness and flew with perfect grace.

"See that boy over there?" Dominique said in almost a whisper. She clearly had some gossip she wanted to share with her sister, and Teddy was not so sure he wanted to listen.

"The one flying next to James?"

"No, the one with the hair."

"Oooh, yeah, what about him?"

"And you know that thing written behind the Fat Lady's portrait?"

"Of course, what about it?"

Dominique's eyes twinkled. "That's all about _him_."

They both broke into identical piercing giggles which made Teddy a bit uncomfortable considering he had no idea one could even look behind the Fat Lady's portrait without ending up in the Gryffindor Common Room. He saw Mike look over curiously at the sisters, distracting him from a perfect pass from James that he just barely caught.

"But- but," Victoire laughed, gasping for breath, "where did he get the _cockroaches?"_

Dominique didn't know, so they both just continued laughing in the way only girls could.

When Dominique finally ran out of gossip about the boys and girls trying out for the Quidditch team, the tryouts were just about over. Teddy could not find anything to fault in James' performance. Even James, who was usually very critical about his Quidditch performances, looked exceptionally pleased as he landed back on the ground and beamed at his three fans, two of which were lying down on the benches, exhausted from laughing the hours away.

-v-v-v-

"Dude, she _rejected_ me," Mike mumbled for the fifth time during dinner on Wednesday. He stabbed the pieces of now unidentifiable food on his plate some more. Rejection was clearly something Quidditch Captain Mike Cordero was not used to.

"I guess it was too soon," Teddy replied again. Consoling Mike was difficult since he could never admit that maybe he was not the epitome of perfection. "She had a tough break up with Davis."

"I know but, I thought, since I was your friend…"

"Listen, I told you I didn't mind if you asked her out, but it's not like I _gave_ her to you. She makes her own decisions, and I guess she made hers regarding you," Teddy said bluntly. He had a sudden urge to stab his own food. Mike's misery was infectious.

"She said normally she would have agreed, but at the moment she needed to… be with herself. What does that _mean?_ Is she asexual?"

"No, Mike." Teddy thought about saying more and reprimanding Mike's conceitedness, but decided instead to grab his bag and walk out of the Great Hall.

"Where are you going?" Mike called out after him.

"Detention."

-v-v-v-

"Sit down, Mr. Lupin," Professor Nover said kindly. He waved his hand and the chair in front of his desk slid out for Teddy to take. Teddy sat down warily, carefully surveying his surroundings.

It was a very small office. He wondered if Nover had requested it that small, or if the Transfiguration office was always like this. He supposed because of its size it passed for cozy. Bookshelves lined every wall, including the wall that Teddy had walked in from. It had taken a while for him to return the books he had knocked over while entering the room to their rightful place. Besides the bookshelves, there was nothing more than a very old looking desk and a few chairs around the room. The desk was an absolute mess, with student essays strewn across it and books that had been neglected to be returned to the bookshelf. Teddy suddenly wondered where the teachers slept, since they did apparently have a life outside of class yet within Hogwarts. The desk almost looked like Nover's sleeping area. He tried to imagine McGonagall trying to sleep in this room. For some reason he had always imagined her as the claustrophobic type. Yes, Nover had definitely requested a smaller office.

"Can I interest you in some tea?" Nover asked politely. He looked at his desk in disdain, and with a quick flick had his papers file themselves away into his drawers. Rather impressive. Teddy made a mental note to learn that spell one day.

"No thanks, I just came from dinner."

"Well, if you're in a rush to start your detention…" Nover muttered, eyeing him carefully over the teapot he had summoned.

"Yeah, sure. Lines?" Teddy asked. He was used to detentions. Sure he had been made Head Boy, but not even Eric could have saved him after some of his more adventurous pranks.

"Actually, I just really want to know… what was your purpose behind becoming an Animagus?"

Teddy remained silent. He knew he could not have gotten off the hook with Nover finding his books that easily.

"C'mon, Teddy. I know I took over for Professor McGonagall, but I'm really not the bad guy. You just have to trust me. So." He poured a cup of tea for Teddy anyway. "Why did you want to be an Animagus?"

"I don't know, why did you?" Teddy retorted. He hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly, but it had been on his mind for a while.

Nover took his time in responding, carefully swallowing his tea.

"Are you accusing me of being an Animagus?" he asked smoothly, his eyes staring right into Teddy's.

Teddy could've backed down then but something, probably that Gryffindor bravado, made him continue. "An illegal one. I even looked through the Ministry's file for your name."

Nover did not respond, but he seemed to be taking much longer to drink his tea. "You know, Teddy, not all Transfiguration teachers are Animagi."

"Your scar." Nover raised an eyebrow. "You said it was from a werewolf."

"Yes, it was. And I promise you I was telling you and your class the truth that day."

"But you're not a werewolf."

Nover's eyes darkened. "No, I am not. I wasn't lying about that either."

"And you expected us to believe that a werewolf got that close to you without biting you? Of course if you were an Animagus, the bite wouldn't do anything while you were in animal form…"

The Professor remained silent, thoughtfully drinking his tea. The scar on his neck seemed clearer than ever to Teddy.

"It's an interesting hypothesis, Lupin," he said carefully. Then his gaze swung back to meet Teddy's with a kind of force that almost seemed physical. "But you don't really think that working at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures they don't teach you spells that will fend off a werewolf if one ever unfortunately ends up on top of you, trying to scratch your chest out?"

Teddy bit his lip. And that was the con of the Gryffindor bravado. It could make you do things that you really should have thought out first.

"Now I'm glad we got that hypothesis out of your head," Nover said sharply. Teddy could not blame him if he was offended, though if he was, all he did was pour himself more tea. "Back to the main point. Why did _you_ want to be an Animagus?"

Teddy remained silent again. He had no desire to confess to a man who had outsmarted him, even though he did feel a little bad for wrongly accusing him. He crossed his legs and tried to stare back at Nover with the same force. He was convinced the Professor must have practiced, because Teddy was pretty sure he was losing in this staring contest.

"So stubborn," Nover yawned. He Banished the tea set into his cupboard. "Just like your mother."

Teddy froze. And the worst part was that from the way Nover glanced at him, that was the reaction he wanted. He was just testing him. He wanted him to talk. _Don't fall for it, Teddy, don't fall for it…_

"You knew my mother?" Teddy asked despite himself.

Nover smiled, but not gloatingly. "We were in the same year. Of course, she was in Hufflepuff and I was in Ravenclaw. But it was hard not to know your mother. She had a way of… running into people."

Teddy had heard enough stories to know that he meant literally. He felt a small part inside of him longing to ask the endless questions he had about his mother that his grandmother could never answer. Only someone who she went to school with could have known her the way Teddy wanted to know her. He wanted to know everything about both of his parents, and that small part of him was practically hurting him in order to escape and find out.

"What was she like?" Teddy asked softly. He felt like a first year again, at the mercy of some scary Professor. And he knew that was how Nover wanted him to feel.

"Oh, she was brilliant. But you must have known that- you need to have brilliant grades in practically every class in order to even be admitted to Auror training. But her personality really had a way of shining through that made her seem like you've known her forever, even if you just met her that day."

Teddy smiled slightly, but his insides were squirming. This was something every child should have known about his mother, yet it was something he was so terribly lacking…

"I doubt there was anyone at the school who disliked her. Except for those future Death Eaters she sent to Azkaban, of course. But most Slytherins liked her because she was just as ambitious as they were. Gryffindors admired her, er, brave choices in hair color, and Ravenclaws loved that she was intelligent yet never flaunted it in front of us."

Teddy kept his head down, his breathing becoming faster. He wanted to know more. As much as he could.

"What was her favorite class?" It was a weak question, but Teddy felt one that was important anyway.

"You'd think it was Transfiguration. And she was very good at it, but well, she always had this weird relationship with Professor Snape. He tried to dislike her the way he disliked all of his other students, but she was terribly good at Potions. Back then you needed to get an O on your OWL in order to get into NEWT level Potions, and consequently, into Auror training."

Teddy eyed the wood floor of the room carefully. He remembered his own E in Potions. So neither of his parents had shared his favorite subject. Harry had always told him that his father's favorite was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and now he found that his mother's had been Potions. And it would have been okay with him, if not for the fact that he somehow felt he had let them down by not pursuing either of their favorite interests. It was stupid, but something, most likely the way his grandmother had raised him, made him feel insignificant whenever he did not reflect his parents exactly.

"Are you alright?" Nover asked slowly, tilting his head to try to look at Teddy's face which was very stubbornly focused on the ground. Teddy forced himself to relax and noticed his morph was slipping as the tip of his hair was turning black. He quickly fixed it so that his hair became almost unnaturally brown. He decided he could not ask these questions anymore. It made him feel too much like the way he felt on full moon nights when he would somehow always think of all the miserable werewolves in the world forced to take on a form they had no control over.

"Why did you leave the Ministry?" Teddy asked, finally looking up. The Professor seemed a bit taken aback by the question but quickly regained composure.

"I didn't agree with the Department's philosophies anymore," he said simply.

"Like what?"

"There has always been this… anti-werewolf philosophy at the Ministry. It was easy to believe in during the war, but now it's just getting a bit out of hand. So I left, and Professor McGonagall kindly offered me a position here," Nover shrugged and leaned back into his chair with his hands behind his head.

Teddy frowned and reverted his gaze back to the floor. "That's why I wanted to become an Animagus."

"What?" Nover seemed to have forgotten the whole point of this detention.

Teddy took a breath. "There's so much werewolf prejudice in Wizarding society nowadays… My grandmother and godfather won't admit it, but I just _know_ that my dad could not have been accepted into society like everyone else. And I… I guess I wanted to change that. And by being an Animagus, I'd be one step closer to being able to communicate with werewolves without them well, you know…" he trailed off looking at his Professor nervously.

Nover continued leaning back in his chair with a blank expression. So Teddy continued, "I don't know, maybe it's stupid. But I just thought that maybe if I did something great for the Wizarding World, I'd be worthy of being my parents' son."

There was a loud noise as the front two legs of Nover's chair regained contact with the floor. Placing his elbows on his desk so that his fingers touched thoughtfully, he said, "Meet me this time next week, same place."

"Another detention?" Teddy said angrily. He most certainly did not appreciate just having spilled his heart out just to receive more punishment.

"No, not a detention. A… lesson," he said enigmatically as Teddy drilled his eyes into him. "I figured even if I did confiscate your books, you're the type of kid who wouldn't stop that from reaching his goals. And becoming an Animagus is very dangerous especially without supervision. I can't stop you, so I might as well advise you."

Teddy sat with his mouth agape but sent his hand through his hair as he tried to make sense of Nover's words. "So you're saying that you'll… _advise_ me on how to be an Animagus?"

"Oh please don't put it all in one sentence. You'll have me sacked. But yes," he said, eyes shining mischievously. Teddy could now safely conclude that this Professor may have replaced McGonagall, but he most definitely was nothing like her.

As Teddy turned around to leave the office, still slightly bewildered, he figured he'd risk one last attempt.

"So you're going to teach me how, yet you yourself are not one?"

Nover laughed genuinely. "No, I am not one, but I _am_ your Transfiguration teacher."

And for the first time since his seventh year had started, Teddy was okay with that.

* * *

><p>Fun Fact: I always try to have the next chapter partially or completely written before publishing a chapter. So basically the next chapter is already written. To get it? Read and Review! Thanks so much to everyone who has already!<p> 


	7. Moonlight

The first Quidditch game of the year was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and no one who grew up in the Wizarding world was surprised to see James Potter as a starting Chaser for the Gryffindor team. The game promised to be an interesting one, since almost the entire Ravenclaw team consisted of new second years after most of their team graduated the year before. People wanted to see if the Ravenclaw team could pull itself together and also if it had any new second year sensations. There was one second year Ravenclaw girl- Teddy couldn't remember her name- who James was always speaking very highly of regarding her Quidditch skill. And for James to praise anyone's skill except his own was a pretty big deal. And of course, the entire school was looking forward to watching James fly due to his parentage. James did not seem nearly as nervous as he had before tryouts as he mounted his broom. He even smiled brightly when the announcer yelled his name.

The announcer was new this year, since last year's, a very witty if sometimes harsh Slytherin, graduated. Teddy could not say he liked the new one at first, considering he chose to go into a long explanation of the strong Quidditch lineage in James' family, starting first at James' namesake, and even extending to Charlie Weasley on his mother's side. However, he warmed up to the charming Hufflepuff third year as the game began. He had a way of somehow managing to keep up with the play by play, while simultaneously professing his love for Professor Rhinehart, begging her to raise his grade a few minor points.

"Potter to Cordero, and a beautiful shot by the Gryffindor Captain past Ravenclaw Keeper MacDonald… Not quite as beautiful as the way Professor Rhinehart blasted away that Red Cap the other day though…"

Teddy heard a shuffling in the stands as Eric made his way through the crowds to him. During a Slytherin game he would have stayed with the other Slytherins, but when the game was of no concern to his House points he would sit with whichever house he liked.

"Where have you been?" Teddy asked, making room for his friend. The game had already been going on for at least an hour, with neither seeker seeming close to finding the elusive Snitch.

"Slughorn's office," Eric grunted as he sat down. "They're doing those career counseling things again for seventh years." His eyebrows were furrowed together from confusion as he watched the Quidditch game, though Teddy knew it had nothing to do with Quidditch. Eric had an awful habit of changing whatever career he wanted to pursue after Hogwarts. Teddy was no longer surprised that Eric was more than an hour late to the Quidditch match, and he could even see Professor Slughorn just settling down next to Professor Longbottom in the teacher stands. All Eric knew was that he wanted to be in an important position at the Ministry- preferably the one that would lead him to the Minister position the fastest.

"Decide on anything?" Teddy yawned. The game did not look like it would be ending anytime soon.

"Actually, I think so. I'm not completely sure yet, but I like the idea," he replied hesitantly.

"Well what is it?" Teddy questioned, not bothering to hide the surprise that Eric might have actually chosen a career.

"I'm sorry if I was never so completely positive about my career, Mr. I'm-Destined-To-Be-An-Auror," Eric hissed. Teddy ignored his comment. "But I've been talking to Nover a lot recently-"

"He's gotten to you too?"

"You're not the only one he spends extra hours with," Eric said darkly. He was the only one Teddy had told about Nover's Animagus lessons, since it really was both his and Eric's idea to become Animagi. Teddy for his parents, but Eric more as a fun challenge.

"Anyway, I'm thinking about joining the Department for Magical Creatures. Nover told me about all the turmoil they're going through right now-" He paused to clap vaguely for a Ravenclaw goal- "And I figured that if I go in, sort things out, well it'd look really good, don't you think?"

Teddy knew that by 'look really good', he meant that it would look very nice in the face of the public when he ran for Minister of Magic.

"And I still have my NEWT level Care of Magical Creatures credit. I could finally put that to use," Eric added. Teddy laughed just as a Ravenclaw beater nearly knocked James off his broom, turning Teddy's laugh into a grimace. However, James seemed to rebound quickly and zoom back to the Quaffle. Teddy never understood why Eric had continued with Care of Magical Creatures. He was one of the few seventh years still making the tread to Hagrid's Hut, and he was most certainly the only Slytherin. Teddy had always supposed that he wanted to keep his options as open as possible.

"Well, good for you then," Teddy nodded, "Just keep your morals intact."

"Of course."

The game seemed never ending, with the sun already setting and the announcer's voice becoming less enthusiastic with each Quaffle scored. The seekers were either both really awful, or the rumor that they were conspiring to make the game go as long as possible in order to avoid a Potions exam was true. It was a good plan, considering the game could only end when the Snitch was caught. Classes would have to be temporarily suspended. Mike was forced to call in the replacement players as the starting team began to wear out. He practically had to power James off the field with a beater bat.

And the game continued. The murmurs around him were wondering if the game would go into Hogwarts records for being the longest ever. Both teams had done a good job- it really was whichever seeker caught the Snitch would win the game. But both seekers seemed to be flying aimlessly around the ever darkening sky, making it infinitely harder to find the golden ball. Teddy bit his lip as he saw the full moon glow brightly in the sky. He normally tried to avoid being outside during full moons, though he supposed it really couldn't hurt. Being with people, especially friends like Eric, helped with the loneliness that the moon always dragged out. It wouldn't be a pleasant night, but it'd be bearable.

"Teddy Lupin!"

Teddy turned his head to a little boy wearing a Gryffindor tie standing two stands below him. He recognized him as one of James' friends.

"Professor McGonagall would like to see you in her office immediately!" the boy squeaked.

"What did you do, mate?" Eric murmured, moving aside to allow Teddy to stand up. The Gryffindors around him also began to whisper.

"No idea."

He looked up at the teachers' stand which was illuminated by some sort of spell that was beginning to spread throughout the field to make the game more playable. He felt a chill go through him as he wondered if Nover had told the Headmistress about his intentions of being an Animagus, but he saw Nover still sitting in the stands cheering the Ravenclaws on. Professor McGonagall was no longer in the stands, though there was another chair that was empty as well.

Maybe because he had been neglecting his Head Boy duties. For good measure, he confiscated a Fanged Frisbee he saw a few Gryffindors tossing across the stands, and even deducted five points from his own house. As he finally made his way to the ground, Professor Longbottom greeted him solemnly.

"Teddy," he nodded.

"Professor- did I do something wrong?" Teddy asked, making sure to keep his voice firm.

The Herbology Professor only began walking at a brisk pace towards the castle, expecting Teddy to follow suit.

"I'm afraid I don't know exactly what happened, Teddy," he sighed. "Harry's Patronus went straight to McGonagall- I didn't catch a word of it. She just told me to wait for you so I could let you into her office."

Teddy felt his face pale. Harry would never send a Patronus without good reason. He began to race through those closest to him- were any of the Weasleys in danger? Surely not one of the Potters- James would have been dragged away from the field with him. And now that Teddy thought about it, not the Weasleys either, or else Victoire and Dominique would be with him… And that left only one person left who Teddy was closest to. He could barely make his legs move as his knees insisted on buckling while his hands began to tremble. It did not help that the full moon was drawing out that loneliness inside of him, making him feel incredibly miserable. His breathing became faster paced as realization dawned on him as to who the news concerned… but what could have happened?

He had not even noticed that Professor Longbottom had declared the password to the eagle guarding the Headmistress' office. He ascended the stairs, the door opening before he could even knock.

He had been in this office before. Only once for any real trouble (when he and Mike tried to sneak into Hogsmeade late at night back in their fourth year), and the rest of the times had been brief glimpses- reporting students while he was on Prefect duty, for example. But never had he been summoned like this. The office was impressively spacious compared to Nover's, with the former Headmasters and Headmistresses lining the walls. Most of them looked alert at the moment, particularly a wizard with a pointed beard dressed in complete silver and green. Professor McGonagall immediately stood up as Teddy entered the room.

"Professor McGonagall, is everything-" Teddy began, panting, not even realizing that Professor Longbottom had followed him into the office.

"Mr. Lupin, I'm afraid there has been an attack on your grandmother," Professor McGonagall stated, her voice trembling slightly as her concerned eyes looked through the spectacles into Teddy's.

"Andromeda Black?" the wizard with the pointed beard asked sharply. The rest of the room ignored the portrait as Teddy felt his head spinning.

Feeling his hands begin to tremble, Teddy maneuvered his way to the seat across from McGonagall in order to steady himself. He tried to even out his breathing before responding, not wanting to give away the fear that was plaguing him. He felt his hair turn white to match how pale his face felt.

"Is she alright?" Teddy asked weakly.

"I can't say. Harry's message was painfully short. He said he would come as soon as he knew." Her eyes flitted over to the fireplace which had a healthy flame burning, as if it were oblivious to the fact that a man could very soon burst through it bearing life changing news.

Teddy ran a hand through his hair. He could not stop his knees from trembling. He even thought about stunning them just to not embarrass himself in front of his Headmistress and Head of House, but he knew it wouldn't work. On any other day- maybe. But the full moon was eerily close to the window, as if trying to physically lure that desperation in Teddy out. He suddenly did feel extraordinarily lonely as his chest heaved. He had deduced that it had to be his grandmother, but an attack? Sure there were still minor crimes around like thefts. But attacks were rare after the war had ended- why would anybody want to attack his grandmother? He gripped the arm of his chair until his fingers looked more like bones themselves instead of covered in flesh. _Don't think about it_, Teddy warned himself. But he did. He thought about all those times when Harry would be too busy at the Auror's office to have him over, and he'd stay with his grandmother who never ceased in trying to entertain him. Whether it was playing chess with him, or telling stories about his mother or grandfather, she was really the only one who had always, _always_, been there for him. Even Harry had to admit it.

McGonagall saw the tears that were beginning to form in her student's eyes. "Teddy…" she said softly. She had always been fond of him, what with his excellence in Transfiguration and depth of moral character that could have only achieved from having been raised without parents. "Teddy, I'm sure she is fine. I taught her- she was every bit as powerful as her sister-"

"Don't mention her," Teddy snarled, harsher than he meant to. He saw the stunned look on McGonagall's face that immediately melted into apology. People seemed to forget, as if because Bellatrix Lestrange was his grandmother's sister, that the same sister had murdered his mother. He ran his hand through his hair again, as he and the two Professors sat in silence until the fireplace erupted into green flames.

All three of them stood up as Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, glasses askew, hair covered in soot and looking very, very tired.

"She's going to be fine," Harry said immediately. Teddy let out a sigh of relief as he slumped back into the chair. He let Harry clean his glasses and properly greet his old friend and Professor before he asked-

"What happened?"

Harry took a deep breath and knelt beside Teddy, his green eyes exploring his godson's face. Teddy succeeded in only partially morphing his hair back to brown. He was fairly certain that it was still tinged with white.

"Someone set a curse on her- a really nasty one according to the Healers in St. Mungo's- when she was out visiting your grandfather's grave," Harry began.

"Did you get him?" Teddy asked, like a child asking a superhero if he had gotten the bad guy. Teddy had always looked up to Harry- the boy who defeated Lord Voldemort- the head of Aurors- surely he could catch any bad guy.

"Ron is interrogating him at the Auror's office right now. I have to get back there- I needed to tell you first though."

"Surely not a- a Death Eater, Harry?" Professor Longbottom asked hesitantly from his position by the door.

"No. I think he is just a normal bloke," Harry stated, attempting to fix his hair. It never worked.

"A normal bloke?" Teddy asked, not hiding the venom in his voice. "Why would a normal bloke go and curse my grandmother?"

"Teddy…" Harry looked into his eyes again. Teddy snapped his eyes away, staring at where McGonagall was fumbling with the edge of her robes. He didn't want Harry to see the anger- the desire for revenge in his eyes.

"We had his profile. He was a wizard who married a Muggle born witch. His wife was murdered during the last few months of the war. By Bellatrix Lestrange."

Teddy stood up, almost knocking the chair over as he stormed towards the door. Professor Longbottom quickly moved aside as Teddy stopped and stared into the frame of the door. He knew what the answer to his next question would be.

"Why would that make him attack my grandmother? She had nothing to do with that murderer after she graduated from Hogwarts."

"Well… she looks a lot like her sister," Harry said as gently as possible.

Teddy tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "What are you going to do with him?"

"I-I don't know yet, Teddy, it's complicated."

"What's complicated about it?" Teddy bellowed, turning around and facing Harry. He didn't care what his hair was doing. McGonagall and Longbottom looked shocked at Teddy's outburst, while the portraits around the room looked disapprovingly at his tone towards his elders. "Everybody knows Bellatrix Lestrange is dead," Teddy continued, trying to even out his voice. "You can't just let him go unpunished for- for mistaken identity!"

"People are still fragile from the war, Mr. Lupin," Professor McGonagall interrupted. "The man must have seen your grandmother and had a bout of disillusionment."

Teddy clenched his teeth together to stop himself from yelling more, purely from respect for his former Transfiguration teacher. He did not want to snap at her again in her own office.

"We're going to do everything we can, Teddy," Harry continued, "But we can't put him in Azkaban."

"Why not?" Teddy asked through his clenched teeth. "In the end, he's just another criminal attacking an innocent bystander."

"Teddy, you know this is different," Harry said sharply.

"It's not. You're just going to let him go, aren't you?" Teddy's voice shook slightly, but he forced himself to continue. He stared at those famous green eyes and even more famous lightning shaped scar. "And let my grandmother get attacked by anyone? Oh, I'm sure the public would love that- let's put it in the Daily Prophet- 'Free Attacks on Bellatrix Lestrange's sister- no penalty!'" he snarled.

"No one has the right to attack a pure blood member of the Black family!" the portrait wearing Slytherin colors roared.

"SHUT UP!" Teddy yelled. He wasn't sure why- the portrait had been agreeing with him. He was just annoyed with everything in the room- he had to get out of it- away from McGonagall, away from Longbottom and Harry, away from the moon…

By the quick glance out the window by Harry, Teddy knew that his godfather understood his suddenly sharp temperament. His godfather and grandmother were the only people who knew what Teddy could get like during the full moon- how the calm nature he had inherited from his father could completely strip away to something… bestial.

"Teddy. I think you should return to your room. Take a Calming Draught- those normally help, right?" Harry's eyes gestured at the full moon again. Teddy nodded slowly, suddenly feeling like a boy who had just thrown an unreasonable tantrum. His hair was beginning to fall against his eyes. It was back to black- his natural look.

"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall, Professor Longbottom," Teddy muttered quickly as he turned back around to the door. "Harry," he added. He glanced over his shoulder to see if his godfather was still there.

"I'll send you a letter as soon as your grandmother recovers," Harry assured.

Nodding, Teddy hurried out of the office as quickly as he could, making his way back to Gryffindor Tower.

The halls of Hogwarts were silent. The Quidditch game must have continued on. It would have been better if it had not. Teddy could no longer stand the loneliness. He felt as if he were the only one in the school, his footsteps echoing loudly through the massive castle. And he might have been. In any case, he was the only one in the school that seemed to see his grandmother's case the way he did. He knew Harry- his good nature would let the man get away with just a mild reprimanding of not cursing anyone who may have looked like a former Death Eater. Teddy grabbed a fist full of his hair, only to relinquish it in disgust. He hated his natural look. Victoire was right- being a metamorphmagus to get rid of the way he naturally looked really was the best part. Otherwise he was sure he'd be attacked just like his grandmother was. He had somehow inherited many of the characteristics present in the Black family- dark eyes, darker hair, strong jaw line, heavy lidded eyes… the looks of a family he most definitely did not want to be associated with.

He saw the moon shining through the enchanted windows, taunting him as he wallowed in misery. He never wanted to be a part of the Black family. Sure he loved his grandmother, and he was pretty sure Sirius Black had been a good person the way Harry had described him- but that family was tainted more than any other family during the war. He wanted nothing to do with it yet if he had not been a metamorphmagus, people would have immediately jumped to conclusions that he was a Death Eater in the making. He only wanted to be his parents' child. He always tried to keep his face the perfect mixture between his parents, but in reality he looked like nothing more than the family that had served Lord Voldemort so loyally.

He felt his breathing become sharp. Alone. That was all he could think of. His parents were dead. His grandmother was barely alive. His godfather was letting the man responsible get away. His friends seemed like they were miles away, cheering for a Quidditch game he could hardly care less about. And Victoire- he could almost hear her piercing laugh as she cheered James on. The image of her flawless face flashed through his mind as his head suddenly made painful contact with the edge of a stair he had been trying to ascend to get to the Tower. He felt something hot and sticky leak out of where his head had hit the stairs, running slowly through his hated hair and down his ear. His body refused to rise from the staircase as the world slowly blacked out around him.

And the moon simply continued to shine on.


	8. Whatever You Want

Teddy woke up with a dull pain in the side of his head, right above his ear. He could feel the soft sheets under his arms, and knew that he must be in the Hospital Wing. Lifting his hand to try to rub away the pain on his head, he felt a hand firmly grab his wrist. He forced himself to open his eyes. His vision was a blur at first, but he could gather that it was light outside and that a very pretty girl was sitting at the edge of his bed, gently placing his hand back to the side of his body and away from his head.

"Madam Pomfrey says not to touch it," Victoire said softly.

Teddy shifted his body on the bed as he tried to remember what had happened. Those stairs, of course. Teddy had never been good at walking up stairs, especially the always moving Hogwarts ones. Combined with the draw of the full moon and his grandmother… His hand involuntarily twitched at the thought. Only then did Teddy realize that Victoire had still been holding his hand, only to quickly withdraw when Teddy moved.

"What happened?" Teddy murmured, though he was pretty sure that Victoire wanted to ask him the same question.

"The game ended well past midnight. I'm pretty sure it would have gone longer. There's a rumor that McGonagall jinxed the Snitch in order for it to move slower and look more prominent in the dark. We could even see it in the audience. It would have been shameful for one of the Seekers not to catch it eventually. Gryffindor won," Victoire added quietly. Teddy merely closed his eyes and smiled to indicate his loyalty to his house.

"Mary Edgecombe found you when we were all returning to the Tower. You were almost there. She didn't even recognize you. Dominique was actually the one who identified you first. I wasn't there yet but I heard you were quite the sight, sprawled out on the stairs with your head bleeding." She looked anxiously over at Teddy. He turned his head to look away only to be greeted by a slight pain from his skull. He kept his head turned anyway. He did not want Victoire to see those classic Black family features. He even attempted to morph back to how he normally kept his face, only to fail miserably and double the pain in his head.

"Professor Longbottom brought you to the Hospital Wing… and that's about the whole story. Mike and Eric were both here for a bit earlier but Mike was understandably tired from that long game so went to sleep, and Eric had a class first thing." Teddy suddenly remembered that he must be missing Transfiguration then.

"And you?" Teddy prompted.

"I don't have a class first period anymore ever since I dropped Divination last year," she smiled. Teddy's heart suddenly hurdled into his throat as he saw her lips give way to that smile that he had known for years yet only seemed to notice now… _God she's beautiful_, a small voice whistled in Teddy's head. Teddy swallowed loudly as he tried to force his heart back into its rightful position in his chest. Was this the direction his hormones had decided to turn? _Not fair,_ he seethed. Any other girl at Hogwarts would have been less complicated. He had never thought of Victoire as anything more than a very close friend, practically a family member. To have his hormones abruptly want more than that just did not seem _allowed_. He let his mind wander to the events of the night before while his eyes seemed perfectly content in wandering over Victoire's face. He needed to know what happened to his grandmother. But his hormones quickly dismissed that thought as he remembered one of the last images he had seen before blacking out. It must have been the moon- the moon drew out these feelings he unconsciously stored away. _Yes, some sort of moon rebound_, Teddy thought to himself. In a few weeks he'd have full control of his feelings and Victoire could just remain a very good friend. _Do you really want that?_ The voice in his head prodded annoyingly.

"So what happened to you?" Victoire asked.

Teddy recounted the events of last night- leaving out certain details like his breach in temperament and the way the moon taunted him. He passed it off as another one of his clumsy missteps, though he was pretty sure she did not believe him.

"I really hope your grandmother is okay," she said heavily. Teddy's grandmother never had the best connection with the oldest generation, such as with Molly and Arthur Weasley. She had an even more awkward connection with Harry's generation, but she was always perfectly herself with Teddy's generation. Victoire and all of her cousins had grown very fond of Mrs. Tonks.

"Yeah," Teddy muttered.

"This is an interesting look," Victoire said in a transparent attempt to break the silence that had come between them. "Is this what happens when you think of your grandmother too much?" she laughed slightly, running a slender finger through Teddy's hair.

Teddy flushed, not because of her hand running through his hair (or so he told himself), but because he felt guilty that not even his friend since toddlerhood knew what he really looked like. Yet she had not drawn away. Of course she had not grown up in a time of war either. Teddy was convinced that anyone older would have been giving him nasty looks.

"This is, er, how I look. Without the morphing," Teddy added when Victoire did not seem to understand.

"_Really_," she said, more as a statement than a question as she began to examine to Teddy's features. He wanted to look away or at least morph away…

"Why don't you use this look more often? It's very… elegant." Her cheeks were tinted with just a bit more color than usual.

"I look like a family of murderers," Teddy said harshly.

"Actually, you look a lot like Harry's godfather. You know, the one James is partially named after. And your grandmother."

"And they also happened to look like Bellatrix Lestrange," Teddy said bitterly. He tried to morph again, this time managing to turn his hair into a very dark brown.

"Well you're the one who told me appearance doesn't matter," Victoire said haughtily, removing her hand a bit forcefully from Teddy's hair. "Would you still like me if I weren't part Veela?"

"You'd be just as perfect," Teddy said softly before the thought even registered in his brain.

He did not miss the stunned expression that she immediately concealed by looking awkwardly away. They once again sat in silence while Teddy fumbled with a way to take back anything he had said that made their relationship unsteady…

The door opened and closed again, seemingly admitting nobody. Victoire narrowed her eyes as she stared at the door, then broke into a mischievous smile as she greeted, "Hello, James."

James Potter whipped off the Invisibility Cloak and stuffed it under his robes before running to Teddy's bed. It only occurred to Teddy then that he was not alone in the Hospital Wing. There were a few others, still asleep. He was pretty sure the one closest to the door was one of the Ravenclaw Beaters.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Victoire scolded playfully.

James shrugged. "I wanted to see Teddy. Flitwick is getting so hard of sight these days I probably didn't even have to use the Cloak."

"You flew very well yesterday," Teddy smiled weakly at the oldest Potter.

"Blimey you look different!" James said, looking at Teddy for the first time. "You kind of look like-"

"Mr. Potter I will personally levitate you back to class! Mr. Lupin is to have no more than one visitor at a time!" Madame Pomfrey hissed, walking out of her office for the first time. She looked like she had just woken up.

"Okay, okay," James muttered, annoyed. "I had to deliver something to Teddy though." From his robes he pulled out a thin envelope. "Buzz brought it to me during breakfast today. It's from dad," he called out as Madame Pomfrey shooed him out of the room.

Teddy had to wait for Madame Pomfrey to reapply some sort of ointment to his head before he could tear open the letter. He did not mind when Victoire leaned over to read as well. Her hair smelled very, very nice…

_Dear Teddy,_

_Hopefully Buzz will bring this to you, and if not, hopefully James will hand it to you. Your grandmother has made a full recovery and will be leaving St. Mungo's this afternoon. She sends her love, and reminds you to study hard and not to do anything foolish. Lily sends her love as well, and requests you bring back some chocolate from Honeydukes during your next visit to Hogsmeade. Ginny wants me to remind you how to get into the Kitchen- she thinks you are far too skinny. She is acting a lot like Molly, don't you think? Ow, she just hit me. I hope you are doing well and had a peaceful rest last night._

_Lots of Love,_

_Harry_

"You're so loved," Victoire breathed.

Teddy scanned the letter again and suddenly felt very foolish. How could he have possibly felt so alone just the previous night, when he had such a loving extended family around him? He noticed that Harry had not mentioned anything about the man who had cursed his grandmother. Yet he forgave his godfather because that was just who he was. The ever merciful Harry Potter.

And he realized that Victoire was leaning over him, with only a curtain of her hair separating his face from hers. And for the first time, he had an unhealthy urge to sweep the hair aside and… kiss her.

_Moon rebound_, he told himself and looked away. That was something else he had inherited from his father. The ability to control his emotions to an almost calculated degree.

And yet moon rebounding could not explain why nearly four months later he still felt all weird whenever Victoire smiled at him. The Christmas holidays were approaching. Teddy had left the Hospital Wing and had continued on with all his classes like normal. Of course the Professors were giving all the seventh years a suffocating amount of homework, and on top of that Teddy was staying up late reading the extra books and notes Nover had given him on Animagi. He had stupidly hoped that as soon as he had his first lesson with Nover that he would become an Animagus. It turned out it required a lot of hard work. He felt nearly as lost about how to become one as he had before Nover had begun advising him. Teddy admitted that the Transfiguration Professor was a brilliant teacher, but Teddy, for the first time, felt like he was learning very slowly. Nover had pondered that maybe being a metamorphmagus made it harder for Teddy to transform. Teddy hoped so, because he was not used to not understanding something for such a long period of time. He was normally a very fast learner.

A few hours after he had left the Hospital Wing he had regained his metamorphmagus powers. He made a point not to assume his natural look again. More for convenience than for anything else, since if Mary had not recognized him, he doubted the rest of the school would, except for his closest friends. There had been three full moons that Teddy survived without any mishap. As long as he was with his friends or family, the sense of longing was subdued. Harry and his grandmother had gotten into the habit of writing to Teddy the day of each full moon with casual family updates. Teddy slowly noticed, a bit reluctantly, that if he spent a full moon talking to Victoire in the Common Room past midnight, he could not feel the loneliness at all.

He tried to keep his eyes off her as he studied over Nover's notes in the library a few days before the Christmas Holidays. The Professor did not have the best handwriting, and on top of that Victoire kept laughing her musical laugh across the library. It was all not very conducive to studying. He felt the edge of a book make contact with his head, not far from where he had fallen four months ago.

"Ow!" Teddy groaned, rubbing behind his ear.

"_Finally_. I've been practically screaming your name for the last five minutes. Madame Pince threatened to throw me out."

Teddy looked up and found Eric's girlfriend taking a seat across from him, still wielding the book that had hit him. Meghan was the epitome of a Hufflepuff as Eric was the epitome of a Slytherin. How they worked out as a couple, Teddy never knew. She had slightly chubby cheeks that were endearing in a way, and even pretty. Her eyes and hair were both a soft brown that matched her calm personality perfectly.

"Sorry. Were you looking for Eric? I have no idea where he is." Teddy turned the page away from Nover's notes to a more innocent looking page about Blast Ended Skrewts.

"No, he's burying himself in the Slytherin Common Room trying to finish his Care of Magical Creatures essay. I offered to help, but…" she shrugged. Now that Teddy thought about it, Eric had definitely taken Care of Magical Creatures just to spend more time with his girlfriend. How had he not realized earlier?

"Mm, he's a stubborn one. So, what's up?" Teddy asked, leaning back in his chair and trying to look casual as his eyes flitted over to where Victoire was talking to some Hufflepuff sixth years.

"Well it looked like you were working on Transfiguration, so I thought I'd come over and we could put our heads together about that essay Nover assigned us."

Teddy nodded vaguely. He had already finished that essay but would not mind helping Meghan. He bit his lip as he saw one of the Hufflepuff boys begin to talk very animatedly directly towards Victoire.

"Hm, I always thought Eric was joking when he claimed you fancied her," Meghan said thoughtfully, bringing Teddy back to the present situation.

"What?" Teddy asked blankly.

"You're looking at Victoire like…"

"Like what?" Teddy demanded, though he did not really want to know.

"Like she's a juicy piece of meat."

Teddy flushed violently but morphed it away to the best of his ability. "I-I don't know what you mean," he lied weakly.

"Well, she _is_ very pretty," Meghan continued. Teddy found himself unconsciously nodding in agreement before he could stop himself. "And nice. That's rare. I heard she's not so bad academically either."

"Yeah, well… it'd be weird," Teddy said lamely.

"Why? I think it'd be cute," Meghan teased, her eyes twinkling.

"She's like my family."

"You guys aren't technically related."

"Actually-"

"Oh don't even give me that excuse. The Black family is distantly related to _everyone_. You're more related to Jackie than you are to the Weasleys."

Teddy sighed at the remembrance of his former girlfriend again.

"Yeah, it'd still be weird though. And I've seen what her Uncles have done to boyfriends she has brought home before. I can't just go up to her and ask her to go to Hogsmeade with me on a date." Although Teddy very much wanted to go up to her table and hex the Hufflepuff boy who was getting awfully close to her.

"So maybe you're not ready for Madame Puddifoot's yet. And her Uncles must feel differently about you- they've known you all your life, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. "There's always Slughorn's party. I'm assuming you were invited?"

Teddy nodded absent mindedly. He was only invited because of his close relationship with Harry. He had half expected for the invites to stop coming after James entered Hogwarts, but he had still received one the past two years.

"So…" Meghan trailed off and did not continue until Teddy gave her a genuinely confused look. "Ask her to go with you! Slughorn's party isn't that big of a deal. It'd be like a…halfway date. It's perfect really." She looked quite pleased with herself.

"No, that'd be awkward," he sighed, pretending to flip through his book. His friendship with Victoire was going better than ever. The last thing he wanted was to ruin it for that selfish part of him that wanted more of her.

"Well I'd recommend you bring a date anyway," Meghan whispered darkly. "You have no idea how many girls have asked me to ask you on a double date with me, you, and Eric."

"Why would they want me?" Teddy grumbled. The Hufflepuff boy was really getting on his nerves.

"I imagine being Harry Potter's godson helps. And also the idea that you could morph your appearance into the ultimate dream guy is pretty alluring."

"I-I'd rather not."

"Look, just ask her to go with you! Lots of people take people they normally wouldn't take to Slughorn's parties. What's the worst that could happen?"

"She rejects me, breaks off our friendship, and the whole Weasley family refuses to talk to me ever again."

"That would never happen."

"How do you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "How are you so good at repressing all that emotion? And jumping to the worst conclusions? You obviously fancy her- anyone who was looking at you in this library could tell- yet you can't even ask her to a party?"

"I'm not good enough for her…"

"That is the biggest lie I have ever heard, Lupin. Listen, if you don't ask her, I will tell one of those third year Hufflepuffs who dream about you that you would very much like to go to Slughorn's party with her."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh yes I would."

"You're worse than Eric."

She smiled deceptively warmly. "Better go now," she muttered. Teddy looked over and with an unwelcome jolt saw that Victoire was leaving the library with the Hufflepuff boy.

"Fine," Teddy agreed angrily. He morphed his hair from turquoise to a much more subtle brown and quickly followed Victoire out of the library.

She and the Hufflepuff boy were walking very slowly down the corridor, the boy beaming at her the entire time while telling some story that Teddy was sure was horrible. He tried to identify the boy but he could not remember ever seeing him before. That was a good sign- if he had not noticed him before, the chance that Professor Slughorn had invited him to his party was slim. There was one advantage he would always have over any other boy who may have wanted to court Victoire. A practically life long relationship. Teddy was confident that if he called her name she'd leave the boy immediately.

Sure enough, as soon as he called for her, she apologized to the boy and skipped back to Teddy's side right outside the library. Teddy did not miss the glare the boy gave him before continuing down the hall.

"Hi Teddy," Victoire smiled.

Teddy ignored his sudden increase in heart palpitations as he smoothly guided the conversation. "Are you going to Slughorn's party?" he asked innocently.

"Not invited," Victoire said, wrinkling her nose. "Apparently my parents aren't close enough to Harry Potter."

"They're as much as war heroes as my parents were," Teddy said firmly. _Only they didn't die,_ a voice added in his head.

"Oh, I'm not bitter about it. It'll give me more time to…" she shrugged.

"So, er, I was wondering. He always lets us bring guests, and I wanted to know if you'd be so kind as to go with me?" His nervous habit of scratching his neck with his right hand kicked in full force so much so that he was afraid he might scratch right through his neck.

"Really?" her eyes lit up. Teddy still half expected her to immediately owl her father and uncles and to tell them to beat him up as soon as possible. "I'd love to!" she smiled brilliantly.

"Great." He had to disguise his relief with a small smile. He suddenly very much wanted to buy Meghan some of Honeydukes' finest chocolates.

"Oh, this is so exciting. I love parties," she giggled. "Oh, what will I wear…? I must owl my mother immediately, see what she thinks…"

"Oh, one more thing," Teddy added, calling after Victoire. She had already been walking towards the Owlery. "How do you want me to look?"

From years of attending Slughorn's parties, he had learned it was much easier to simply ask the girl how he should look rather than try to attempt to look decent himself. He never knew what to do, and Mike gave even worse advice.

Her face broke into another smile as she laughed, "Oh, you're like my little boy toy now. I can make you look however I want…"

She spent the next few minutes having Teddy go through every hair color he could think of, combined with every eye color… He was actually having fun despite having to morph every five seconds.

"God no, you look like my father like that!" she gasped, horrified when Teddy turned his hair a bright red. "How about…" she tilted her head and ran a hand through his hair, "the natural look?"

"The natural look?" Teddy replied hesitantly.

"I mean, it's your decision. If you really don't like it, then don't do it. I think it's my favorite though," she added, stroking his hair in a way that made the hair on his neck rise. "No gimmicks- just the real you."

"I…" Teddy hesitated, looking into Victoire's calm blue eyes. Would it really be so bad to go with the Black look? He despised the look, but most of his classmates would not recognize it. And the way she looked at him, and the way her hand rested on his head…

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Wasn't that some nice fluff. But I'm back! There were a few days when I didn't write at all due to the final movie coming out and all. Had to get dressed up and grieve after it was over, y'know? I actually wrote this chapter before the final movie came out. It's the next chapter I was writing before I wanted to publish this one. It's almost done- review, and it might magically get uploaded even faster! I appreciate everything I've gotten so far. Thanks so much!<p> 


	9. Silence

"Damn," Teddy muttered under his breath as he closed his book. He was huddled under his blankets in the Gryffindor Common Room putting off getting ready for Slughorn's party. It would be an hour before it started. All of the girls had hidden away into their dorms to get ready ages ago, possibly days ago. Mike, who always cared about his grooming, had begun the careful practice of parting his hair in just the right way a few moments ago. The other guys who were going to the party were just beginning to look for their dress robes while Teddy remained comfortably in bed, reading. He was pretty sure he knew where his dress robes were since he had to change the color of them for every occasion, and being a metamorphmagus meant not really having to care about hair procedures. Therefore, just an hour before the party was set to begin, Teddy was finishing the book he had taken out from the library.

It had seemed like a promising book to read. With the Christmas holidays approaching, Teddy's schoolwork finally died down to a manageable level so that he had time for outside reading again. He had stumbled across it during one of his frequent visits through the 'Magical Creatures' section of the Hogwarts Library- a book that looked hardly touched with the title Wanderings with Werewolves. Sure the librarian had given him a strange look when he checked it out, but he thought that was just the way her face naturally looked. He now tossed the book aside as he found the author of the book was none other than the notorious fraud Gilderoy Lockhart. It had been an interesting read, too. However, now that Teddy thought about it, the part where the author saved the entire village from the Wagga Wagga Werewolf seemed too good to be true. The Homorphus Charm. Teddy had read about it in other books before, though nobody seemed to know if it truly could turn a werewolf back into a man… though nobody had disproved it either. Teddy's heart began to beat a bit faster. Of course he told Nover he wanted to be an Animagus to get closer to werewolves in order to sort out societal prejudices. But Teddy knew that the only real way to eradicate those societal prejudices completely was to eradicate the disease completely. To cure lycanthropy. Which of course, every book Teddy had borrowed told him was impossible. But the Homorphus Charm seemed so promising… Teddy looked down at the book again only to see Lockhart's teeth flash up at him. He sighed. There was no hope- the author's life had all been a lie.

Teddy slowly forced himself out of bed to prepare for the party. Mike was still carefully parting his hair in a mirror he had transfigured from a quill. Teddy conjured a mirror of his own as he stared at the heart shaped face. Closing his eyes, he felt his skin bubble away under his cheek bones as his eye lids felt heavier, his jaw more prominent, and his hair just slightly tingle. When he opened his eyes again, he felt more relaxed than he had in a while. He always forgot how tiring keeping a morph up could be until he reverted back to the natural look. He looked reluctantly at his own reflection, not knowing what to think of his physical appearance.

"That's different. You're really stepping it up a notch, aren't you?" Mike said, sounding surprised as he glanced up from his mirror.

Teddy scowled but immediately changed his facial expression as he saw how dark his face looked with a scowl on. "Victoire's request."

"You're going with Victoire?" Mike said sharply, this time completely losing interest in the mirror.

"Er, yeah…" Teddy muttered nervously as he felt a draft of cold wind seep through his body. He had forgotten all about Mike…

"That's cool," Mike shrugged nonchalantly and returned to combing his hair. Teddy sighed with relief inwardly. It was a testament to their seven year friendship that a girl and some tactlessness on Teddy's part could not get between them.

"You should start getting ready though," Mike added. Satisfied with his hair, he finally transfigured the comb back to a quill and flung his dress robes over one shoulder as he stood up. "I'm going to head to the bathrooms and change. Maybe shower. See you there."

"Yeah," Teddy muttered, forcing himself to roll out of bed. He was now alone in the dorm room. Quickly changing into his now black dress robes (he had to apply a color changing charm since the girl he went with last year for some reason wanted a very hideous shade of orange), he looked at himself in the mirror again. He still could not help but think that there was something very dark about the way he looked. He Banished the mirror away and descended the stairs to the Common Room without tripping over anything.

The Common Room was deserted. There were bags left out on the armchairs, partially opened with books that looked like they'd slide out onto the red and gold carpet at any minute. The fire rekindled itself after noticing Teddy's presence in the room, giving the whole room an even redder glow than it needed. There were hairbrushes thrown around the room and books on spells for hair still open on the tables. He could hear the muffled sound of what sounded like a stampede coming from the girls' dormitories. Teddy knew better than to try to enter their dorms. Even if he could, he did not think he wanted to face swarms of girls frustrated over not being able to keep their hair up. He had arranged to meet Victoire in the Common Room. He had expected she would be late, so he sat down in an arm chair and began to flip through one of the hair product books. He never knew so many spells had been invented for keeping hair up. He wondered if his mother ever needed any of these.

"Teddy?"

Standing up, he turned around to find Dominique standing at the foot of the staircase leading to the girls' dormitories. She was dressed in her normal school robes. It did surprise Teddy that she would not be attending Slughorn's party- she and her sister were normally the first people to be asked to any occasion. Then again, Dominique did have a reputation for breaking hearts, especially in public settings.

"Wow, you clean up well," Dominique nodded, her eyes scanning Teddy from head to foot. Dominique was more like her mother than her father. She had inherited the platinum blonde hair and constantly narrowed, judging eyes. But of course, she was just as beautiful as her sister.

"Er, thanks. Is Victoire ready…?"

"She sent me to tell you that she's almost ready. I need to get back to helping her." Her eyes were still running over Teddy. "But before I go up…" She flashed her eyes back up to meet Teddy's. Teddy instinctively straightened up as she drew to her full height and pointed a finger at him.

"If you do _anything_ to hurt my sister…" Her glare said everything. Teddy nodded, though he had to admit he was just a little bit frightened of the girl who was at least a foot shorter than he was. She smiled coldly and began to return to the dorm when she added, "My Uncle works with dragons."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Teddy muttered, running a nervous hand through his dark hair.

She broke into a true smile, all coldness shattering away as Teddy recognized the Dominique he had grown up with, laughing beautifully. "Love you, Teddy," she winked playfully as she bounded to the stairs.

Teddy sighed as he slumped back into the armchair. His grandmother would have scolded him, saying that he would wrinkle his dress robes. Some witch must have invented an Anti-Wrinkle charm. It was probably in one of the books strewn across the table. Somehow Teddy had grown up immune to both Victoire and her mother's Veela charms, yet Dominique always had a way of controlling him, and she knew it. It was probably because she always ignored him whenever he came to visit since she would suddenly become very interested in her dolls while her sister played with Teddy. Therefore Teddy had been able to immunize himself from Victoire since they were always together, yet Dominique was always a bit mysterious to Teddy. She probably liked to keep it that way around the entire male population anyway.

"Mr. Lupin… your date," Dominique's voice rang, bringing Teddy away from his musings. He turned around once again to see Victoire dazzling at the foot of the stairs where her sister had stood moments ago. Teddy quickly stood up, knocking the books he had innocently been perusing off the table.

She was beautiful. That was really the only way to describe her, yet it also seemed like a complete understatement. Her dress caught the light easily- a long, silver, sparkling gown that had a long slit at the bottom, revealing a pale, flawless leg. The cut was modest yet revealed just enough to send Teddy's hormones racing as his eyes hungrily searched her face. It was the same Victoire he had always known, just with hair charmed into some sort of elegant bun that let small strands of curled hair escape, gently falling against her skin. Her blue eyes shined more than ever, sparkling just as much as her dress.

"Alright you two, stop drooling over each other," Dominique scoffed, bringing Teddy out of his trance. Victoire smiled demurely while Teddy could only return it with a sheepish smile that made him feel horribly plain in comparison to her. "You two are late already. Have fun. Stay safe- and remember who helped you look this great when it's my turn!" Dominique winked.

"Of course," Victoire grinned, gliding across the Common Room to Teddy. He remembered just in time to extend his arm which she took happily as they made their way through the Fat Lady's portrait.

"You look beautiful," Teddy managed finally. He certainly did not feel like a Gryffindor at the moment.

"Loving the natural look," Victoire laughed, running her free hand through Teddy's hair. For once the laughter and touching did not send his hormones racing more, but rather calmed him. _This is the same Victoire_, he told himself, taking in a deep breath.

"You're going to the Burrow for Christmas, right?" Victoire asked as they made their way through the castle. The portraits seemed to be having parties of their own. One knight had fallen off his horse in a drunken rage and was murmuring made up words in another one's portrait.

"Yeah, of course. Christmas wouldn't be the same without the Burrow."

"Your grandmother will come, too?"

"Yeah, she'd never let Molly outdo her on present giving."

"Good, I love your grandmother. Uncle Charlie is coming down from Romania this year."

"Ah…" Teddy could not help but be reminded of Dominique's comment as he pressed Victoire's arm to his body and entered Slughorn's very decorated office.

"Teddy, m'boy, is that you?" Slughorn seemed to have popped out from right behind the entrance. "Wouldn't have recognized you but Mike told me you were bringing the lovely Victoire Weasley. Now _you_ no one could miss!" Slughorn beamed, kissing Victoire lightly on the hand. She smiled uncomfortably as her Potions Professor withdrew his head, now looking eagerly at Teddy.

"Now, Teddy, there are some people I'd like to introduce you to…" Slughorn continued, pulling at Teddy's free arm as if trying to pry him away from Victoire.

"Go, I'll be over there," Victoire smiled. She was looking eagerly at the food table.

"Right, I'll be right back-"

"Let's go, m'boy! Very interesting people I've invited this year… It's a shame your godfather couldn't come. Does the Ministry really have him working so much this close to Christmas?" Slughorn asked while dragging Teddy through the crowd of people who had occupied Slughorn's office that night. Teddy was pretty sure the Professor was dragging him right through the dance floor.

"Right. Teddy, this is Mr. Ackerley. He is in charge of Auror recruitment. He's the one who decides if you're good enough for Auror training," Slughorn said, his eyebrows highly suggestive. All the staff knew that Teddy wanted to be an Auror.

Teddy put on a smile and shook Mr. Ackerley's hand. He was a small man with a scrawny beard who looked like he'd rather be anywhere than at Slughorn's party at the moment.

"Mr. Ackerley, this is Teddy Lupin."

"Oh my!" Mr. Ackerley suddenly looked a lot more interested. "Well you won't need my help getting into the Auror department. Your godfather…"

"Er, yeah. Harry Potter. I'd like to get in the fair, normal way though…" Teddy said heavily.

"Such a fair boy! It's a wonder he wasn't put in Hufflepuff!" Slughorn roared, clapping Teddy so hard on the back that he nearly jumped. Mr. Ackerley smiled apologetically at Teddy, as if embarrassed at Slughorn's obvious flattering motives.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin," Mr. Ackerley said. Teddy noticed that the man was studying his features very carefully. He suddenly wished that he had not given into Victoire to use the natural look. He forgot how many adults Slughorn invited to his parties- adults who very much remembered going through the war with a certain Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Ah, Teddy, where is your friend Eric!" Slughorn sighed, extending to his full height as if hoping to find Eric that way. "I invited the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures here… very important man…Ah, Mr. Bletchley, there you are, I must say I cannot find the one I was telling you about earlier, but I do have his friend, you may have heard of him, Teddy Lupin?"

A large man with incredibly broad shoulders turned around. He was much taller than both Teddy and Slughorn. He had a short mustache and a full head of hair that contrasted sharply with Ackerley's scrawny beard. He looked a bit past middle aged, with wrinkles lining his stern face. He extended one large hand which Teddy shook reluctantly.

"Lupin?" Bletchley muttered, his voice almost as deep as Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt's.

"Yes, Harry Potter's godson!" Slughorn said giddily.

"Ah… Will you be joining the Auror department next year then?" He had a way of talking without making direct eye contact.

"Those are my intentions at the moment," Teddy said coolly. He would have much rather have been spending the night with Victoire than with middle aged men.

"And why not my department? We are making incredible bounds this year, even more next year I expect…"

"Mr. Lupin has no desire to join a department that has so lost its sight on values of equality." Teddy was startled to see Professor Nover seem to appear out of thin air, gently easing himself into the conversation to Teddy's defense. The Professor's eyes flickered over to Teddy, seeming not to recognize him at first but quickly turning back to face Bletchley. The Head of the Department suddenly did not look so bored, but rather, looked eager now that Nover had showed up. Slughorn looked nervously between the two men while Teddy attempted to disappear into the crowd. Nover gave him a sharp look that told him to stay. Sighing, he remained where he was, surveying the way Bletchley towered over Nover.

"Why, Adam! How very nice it is to see you here," Bletchley smiled, revealing teeth that looked like they would have been yellow without the help of a teeth whitening charm. "Are you teaching the little ones here Care of Magical Creatures? Teaching them that every Hippogriff and Blast Ended Skrewt has the same rights as a wizard?" Slughorn noticed the tension developing and quickly slipped away into the crowd. Teddy wished he could do the same. He could see Victoire stuffing her face with a crowd of girls around her.

"Actually sir, I teach Transfiguration," Nover said coldly.

"Of course. Well, I was just trying to convince this one here to join my Department," Bletchley jerked his head over at Teddy, who felt reluctantly pulled into their conversation, "Though you're probably poisoning their young minds into thinking that our Department does nothing more than subject Beasts. I should have never let you go teach the young minds that will be joining the Ministry shortly. They will be a bunch of liberals who think it's perfectly normal to-"

"As I said earlier, Mr. Lupin has no desire to join any Department that believes werewolves should not be allowed employment-"

"Mr. Lupin can surely make his own decisions, can't he?" Bletchley finally looked into Teddy's eyes, though Teddy wished he had not. There was something very dead about the way his eyes searched Teddy's. He could now see that some of the lines he had mistaken for wrinkles were actually light scars.

"_Mr. Lupin_ still has his morals, and if you don't mind, I'd like to keep him that way," Nover said heatedly. He was much shorter than Bletchley yet seemed just as intimidating. Teddy felt a bit flattered by the way Nover was defending him.

"Mr. Lupin… oh, of course. _Lupin_." The way Bletchley said his surname, with a tone of disdain, almost mocking, snapped Teddy out of any desire to join Victoire's end of the party. He had grown up so sheltered by Harry and his grandmother that he had never heard anybody mention his name with disgust. He knew at that moment Bletchley was thinking about Teddy's father- the man Teddy had never known yet always heard heroic stories about. He had never expected to hear his father's name so diminished, especially at a Christmas party.

"Professor Nover is right. I could never join a Department that is so screwed up morally," Teddy said calmly, attempting to make eye contact with Bletchley. He saw Nover smile from the corner of his eye.

"I suppose I can't blame you for this, Adam. Mr. Lupin was clearly already born into a family of Beast lovers."

"I'm sorry if I was born into a family of humanity lovers."

"It's not humanity. They are beasts with nothing to offer Wizarding society-"

"That's funny. My godfather, Harry Potter, you might know him, always said that was the same thing Lord Voldemort told his Death Eaters."

Bletchley flinched at the name but was now eyeing Teddy with a mixture of interest and disdain that certainly had not been there when Teddy had remained quiet. Teddy made sure to keep his voice calm, for he found that raising it never ended up well for his arguments.

"Mr. Bletchley, you simply _must_ meet one of my star students- he intends to join your Department next year…" Slughorn had come bustling back, this time dragging Eric by the arm behind him. Eric gave a startled look at Teddy, but soon smiled in recognition.

"This is Mr. Eric Flint. I do believe he is the best Potions maker in his grade, no offense to you, Mr. Lupin, I always heard you were better in Transfiguration anyway. A shame, really…" Slughorn muttered. Teddy nodded curtly. He could feel Bletchley's gaze was still on him.

"Well, Mr. Flint. I certainly hope you are nothing like Mr. Lupin over here. We'd love to have somebody with the correct mindset join our Department soon. It is a shame you changed sides, Adam. You really were an excellent worker," Bletchley said, extending a hand for Eric to shake. Eric exchanged a confused glance with Teddy and Nover, but quickly began talking to what may become his future employer.

Teddy took the opportunity to slip away, not wanting anything to do with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for the rest of the night. He had intended this night to be all about Victoire… now where was she?

He spotted her sparkling dress from across the room. She was still eating with the group of girls around her. That was something about Victoire. Despite her slender frame, she could go on eating for hours. With all of her uncles, she definitely was not the one who ate the most during the Burrow holiday dinners, but she did come close. Teddy snuck behind the food table and casually leaned in behind Victoire.

"I'm back," he said softly into her ear. He laughed as she nearly dropped her plate of food. Her friends had a curious way of dispersing immediately whenever he came around.

"Finally! For a few moments I thought you preferred to party with middle aged men than with me," Victoire sniffed sarcastically.

"Never, darling," Teddy smiled, finishing Victoire's plate of food off for her. She hit him lightly on the arm. She had always hated when he stole her food.

"Well now that you have consumed my dinner, let's dance!" Victoire smiled, feigning annoyance as she grabbed Teddy's arm and pulled him onto the dance floor. Teddy could see that Eric was still talking to Bletchley. He felt uncomfortable with his best friend talking to a man who so supported the degradation of werewolves. But if Nover had been the one to introduce him to the job in the first place, surely he had also told Eric to never subjugate the 'beasts'? Teddy forced himself back to Victoire- it was not difficult. Keeping his balance while he did something that he hoped passed for dancing was much more difficult.

"My friends love the way you look tonight," Victoire said as Teddy clumsily spun her. She didn't seem to mind his inept dancing skills.

"Well, you chose it."

"I told them Professor Nover looked better. That man can wear dress robes," Victoire taunted, revealing teeth as dazzling as her dress.

"I'm afraid you're stuck with me tonight," Teddy replied in mock apology.

"I think I like it that way." She had leaned in, closing the distance between their bodies as the song slowed down. Teddy felt his breathing become much harder to manage as he could feel her hair against his skin. Two of the couples that were around them seemed much more content exchanging saliva than dancing. Teddy looked uncomfortably away as Victoire rested her head on his shoulder.

"Mike looks nice tonight, too," Victoire said softly. Teddy had not seen his Gryffindor friend since he had finished parting his hair, but nodded slowly in agreement anyway.

"Why did you reject him?" Teddy asked suddenly.

"What?"

"A while ago. He asked you out, didn't he?"

"Well it's not like I have to say yes to everyone who asks me out, is it?" Victoire replied coolly. Teddy could feel that she was slowly withdrawing her head from his shoulder. Panicking, he rested his head on hers, pulling her back in. It worked.

"Mike is a good person. There's nothing wrong with him. But when he asked me, I liked someone else. So it didn't really make sense for me to agree to go out with him when he wasn't the one that I liked," Victoire shrugged.

"Oh," Teddy muttered as the song crooned away and the couples around him began to passionately kiss in a way that should not have been done in public.

"Is that James?" Victoire suddenly said sharply. Teddy turned his head to see James arriving fashionably late much to Slughorn's delight. In his arm was a girl who was much taller and much older than he was…

"Who is he with?" Teddy asked.

"Isn't she in _your_ year?" Victoire hissed. All of the Weasley cousins were very protective of each other and their Potter relatives. Teddy now recognized James' date as Annabelle, a Gryffindor who was indeed his year.

"C'mon, let's move," Teddy muttered, pulling Victoire to the other side of the dance floor.

"Why did we move?"

"Well, I don't think I could've stood it if I saw James and his date doing what the couples around us were doing. And if he spotted us together, I'm pretty sure we'd never have a peaceful Christmas holiday," Teddy grimaced, pulling Victoire into his body again.

"Good point," Victoire laughed softly, sending the music straight into Teddy's ear.

"So…" Teddy began as they had swayed in the same spot in silence for a bit, "what happened to the guy you liked?"

"Oh, I still like him."

"Should that make me feel insignificant, then?"

"Not at all," she whispered. He suddenly noticed that her face was a lot closer to his, her voice right against his ear. She must have been stretching for she was never that tall otherwise… His breathing quickened as he felt her soft cheek brush against his. He could feel the perfectly smooth skin glide along his cheekbone until a different sort of skin pressed gently just off to the side of his mouth. Her lips lingered on his cheek longer than any of those childhood kisses had as he eagerly drank in the aroma her hair gave off. After what seemed like minutes, but in reality could only have been a few seconds, she pulled away and looked gently into Teddy's eyes.

He swallowed. He knew very well what he wanted to do as he glanced from the blue eyes to her lips. And for once, he was almost completely sure she wanted it as well. He felt his heart race as he realized he'd only have to move his head a few inches and all of the dreams from the past four months would come true. Had it only been the last four months? It might have been his whole life. It certainly felt that way as he looked into those familiar eyes. He bit his lip nervously as with one hand he traced her face from cheekbone to jawline. Her skin felt flawless against the back of his finger. _You want her so badly,_ a voice in Teddy's head urged. She smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers. _She'll accept you if you kiss her_. He really was a mere two inches away. If he so much as straightened his head he could finally fulfill that wish that his hormones had been racing at for months. Suddenly a very different voice entered his head. _What would her father think?_ Why did he have to think of her father at a time like this? Bill was a strong, intimidating man in his own right. But he had always been fond of Teddy. _What would her mother think?_ Her mother was considerably scarier than Bill. She had always loved having Teddy over, though. But what would she think knowing that Teddy now had very different intentions with her daughter than just coming over to play? _And all her uncles?_ Teddy was close with her uncles, but it seemed like he could make himself a complete foreigner to them if he kissed her… _What about your own parents?_ Surely they'd want him to find love? He could not remember the last time his hormones had raged this much for anyone. They certainly had not for Jackie. _And Bletchley?_ He had no idea why that annoying voice had to bring up a man he had just met and certainly had not liked. He thought about the way Bletchley had said his family name, with disgust, all but saying that his father was not a part of humanity. Would Victoire really want somebody who was that close to what society was coming to know as a beast?

The song ended. It was too late- he had thought too much. It was like an invisible timer had been going off and he had missed his cue. He could already feel her pulling away from him as she unraveled her arms from around his neck. He tried to take her hand for the next song, only to have her pull away almost immediately. She looked flustered as her eyes avoided Teddy's as if following a Snitch that flew everywhere but around him.

"Listen, Teddy, I think I'm going to go now."

"Wait, _what?_" Teddy stammered, trying to grab an arm or anything that would force her to stay with him.

"Yeah, I…" she bit her lip while still avoiding Teddy's gaze, "I'm just going to go back to the Tower."

"Wait, no, did I-"

"Thanks for taking me. I'll see you over the holidays." There was something foreign about her voice. It was no longer the warm voice he had always grown up listening to. And with that final parting word, she darted through the crowd and out of the office. She could have only left faster if she had apparated.

Teddy was suddenly very alone on the dance floor. Thankfully the moon was nowhere close to being full or else he would have felt that dreaded loneliness creep up on him again. After standing stupidly by himself for a bit, he quickly moved off the floor to one of the chairs bordering the dancers in an attempt to collect his thoughts.

"Teddy, what happened?" He found that the seat he had occupied was next to none other than Eric's girlfriend- the one who had started this whole mess that he now found himself in. She was also sitting alone away from the dancing, wearing a very casual yellow dress. She had definitely done something different with her hair, but Teddy was too miserable to bother pinpointing it.

"I have no idea. I think I messed up," Teddy muttered. Had he? He had not kissed her right then, but did that really mean she had to storm out of the party? He ran a hand through his hair, annoyed that he had bothered to wear this look for someone who left him in the middle of dancing.

"Well yes, that was obvious," Meghan said lightly.

"You saw?"

"Eric has been talking to those Ministry guys for ages. You two were the only interesting things to keep me entertained. I thought you were finally going to kiss her."

"I was. But then I kept _thinking-_"

"Good things never come out of when you, and I mean _you_, think too much, Teddy," Meghan said wisely. Teddy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his head in his hands.

"Can you just tell me exactly what I did wrong?" Teddy groaned. The song was changing back to a slow one, much to his annoyance.

"You didn't kiss her back," she said simply.

"She hardly kissed me in the first place-"

"Oh Teddy, you are so _oblivious_," Meghan said, allowing a hint of condescension to slip into her voice as she brought one knee over the other. "You don't know how Victoire works, do you?"

"What?" Teddy asked, looking up from his hands.

"And I thought every guy knew. Victoire Weasley never makes the first move. I mean, she normally doesn't have to. So I guess she thought you were worth making an exception for, and when you didn't return her affection, she felt a bit overexposed."

"That's… absurd," Teddy said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well if I were you, I'd go find her immediately."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll…" Teddy began, already standing up and making his way across the office. "I-I'm sorry about Eric…" he added, glancing over to where Eric was still in conversation with the Ministry workers.

Meghan shrugged. "He's like that."

Teddy nodded quickly before bursting out of the office to a dark, empty hallway. He listened to his footsteps echo around the castle as he ascended stairs two at a time, making his way to the Common Room.

"What the hell did you do to her?" He was stopped just inside the Fat Lady's portrait by a very angry Dominique. She had been sitting in one of the Common Room armchairs, apparently doing nothing but waiting for Teddy.

"I- please, just let me see her-"

"She went to bed," Dominique said curtly, rising from her armchair and drawing herself to her full height in front of Teddy. Teddy forced himself to look away.

"Already? It's not that late yet. She can't be that upset, can she?" Teddy asked nervously. Dominique's glare softened, turning into a confused look.

"I can't tell. She normally tells me everything. It's not like her to just go straight to bed. I was looking forward to hearing about your clumsy dance moves," she said softly, looking thoughtfully at Teddy.

"Er, I'm sorry to disappoint…" Teddy muttered. Perhaps there was a way to levitate himself into the girls' dormitories… He tried to move around Dominique only to have her put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Wait a moment," she said suddenly, very sharply. "She doesn't actually _like_ you, does she?"

Teddy felt a bit offended at the tone Dominique had taken, but began fumbling with the edge of his dress robes. "How should I know?" he asked defensively.

"Do you like her?" she demanded, drilling her eyes into Teddy's.

Teddy remained silent. It was so much easier to admit everything to Meghan. But Dominique was too close to Victoire to reveal anything.

"So you don't," Dominique hissed, crossing her arms and beginning to turn back to the girls' dormitories.

"That's not what I said!" Teddy said angrily.

"You might as well have."

Teddy, now alone in the Common Room, could not help but feel the truth of these words. Apparently silence was just as bad as indifference.


	10. A Little Flower

The wind was stronger than usual that Christmas morning as it blew snowflakes around the graveyard with more force than normal. It wasn't snowing just then, but it had snowed enough the previous night for the wind to pick up bits and pieces and bombard visitors. Teddy could feel the snow matting down on his turquoise hair as it melted and the cold water would run down his ear, down his jaw, and ultimately drip down his chin. He buried his hands deep into the pockets of his coat, feeling the weight compress down on his shoulders.

The graveyard really was a very peaceful place. In the spring, flowers would sprout all around the site. Yet it'd rain, and something about the fact that Teddy could leave the graveyard when it rained yet all the ones buried there could not bothered him. Therefore the graveyard was far from his favorite place. But the people in charge had put a lot of effort into making it, which Teddy and every other family from the war greatly appreciated. The Ministry had chosen a special lot close to Hogwarts where victims of the war were buried. Their tombstones were all very well kept. Yet it meant that the place would be all too crowded during the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Around Christmas time though, it was alright. Families would stop in throughout the day. Teddy had chosen to come by with his grandmother right before dinner at the Burrow. He had stood idly by the side while his grandmother walked by first Teddy's grandfather, and then his parents. She spent a little time with each one, muttering under her breath and even laughing a little while Teddy observed from afar. It was sort of an unspoken rule that they'd each have their turn to speak with them without the other one intruding.

His grandmother turned to him, smiling while wiping a single tear from under her eye. She was heavily bundled up in coats and mittens as the snowy wind blew across her face as well. She wrapped her layered arms around Teddy, who returned the hug warmly, burying his head in her dark hair. His grandmother had made a full recovery since her attack, yet Teddy could not help but feel how vulnerable she felt in his arms. It was a stupid idea too, since Teddy knew that she was far more powerful than she normally let on. She was even almost the same height as Teddy when standing completely straight, which normally she was, having been raised in a noble family. She unraveled herself from Teddy, smiling sadly at him.

"I'm going to go over to the Burrow first. I'll see you there?" she said, her soft brown eyes searching Teddy's face.

"Yeah, I'll be over when I'm done," Teddy agreed, wrapping his coat around himself again as the cold wind blew.

His grandmother nodded, walking back into the building where the caretakers rested and where a large fire crackled, ready for any Floo Powder travelers.

Teddy walked over to his grandfather's grave first, the snow crunching satisfactorily under his shoes. His grandmother had cleared the snow and left a single flower resting against the tombstone where Teddy's namesake's name was etched. He felt a sudden pang as he watched the flower, fastened to the grave with some sort of charm, flick around in the wind, threatening to fly away. Yet it stayed right where it was, always by his grandfather's side until the next time his grandmother would come around. It was an undying love story that he never really bothered to think about much. But his grandmother never wavered in her loyalty to his grandfather. Teddy had great respect for the man he only saw in pictures, laughing with his mother and grandmother. He conjured his own flower next to his grandmother's, yet he knew it would blow away eventually. He had never quite mastered the sticking charm as well as his grandmother had.

He moved on to the grave just to the left of his grandfather's. His grandmother had cleared the snow here as well, though the harsh winds had blown more on. Teddy brushed it off with his bare hand, leaving it stinging with cold, yet revealing his parents' names etched into the stone. He took a deep breath as he watched the warm air escape from his mouth in white puffs.

"Hi," Teddy muttered just slightly under his breath. There were others who were on the far ends of the graveyard. Nobody in hearing distance. Yet it was always awkward to start off. He never knew how loudly to speak. Of course the grave never responded. But the fact that it was always there was somewhat of a comfort.

"I've had a good year," Teddy continued, slightly more confident. "It's my last year at Hogwarts. If I keep my grades up I'll be joining Harry in the Auror department next year. Like you, mum." Teddy paused to run a hand through his turquoise hair and shake the accumulated snow off. He suddenly relaxed his morph, letting it slide away to his natural look.

"Who knew I would end up looking like your best friend, hm dad?" Teddy laughed slightly as he faced the grave again. "He probably would have gotten a kick out of it. From the way Harry describes him."

He paused again, but quickly continued. "I haven't really been comfortable with this look. I'm better with it now. I figure I'll just accept it's who I am and see what happens. Someone taught me to just go with it. I think I messed it up with her though," Teddy added darkly.

"The world is a good place now. Hardly any attacks anymore. Definitely no murders on any scale as the Death Eaters used to do. There's still one thing though. Werewolf prejudices are rising again. It's awful." Teddy paused. Why was he bringing this up on Christmas? But he continued anyway now that he felt comfortable speaking.

"There are hints in the Daily Prophet that werewolves are dissatisfied with their lives again. That they want a leader to rally behind like back in the war. But that doesn't mean we should be against all of them, right? If one chooses to integrate into society… How did you do it, dad? Maintain all that morality and work with the Order all while society pressed against you. I guess you made a choice and stuck with it. It's really admirable." Teddy smiled sadly at the unmoving grave. All of that morality had not done much to preserve his father's life. He brushed the bitter thought away as he flicked the snow off his coat.

"Yeah. You stuck with the Order. Both of you. No matter what. Even when you had a newborn kid you ran off with the Order. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that bitterly." Teddy ran a tired hand through his black hair. He supposed there was no point avoiding it any longer. "Do you ever regret that? If you had known you wouldn't come back, would you still have left me? That's not a fair question. Never mind. I just wonder sometimes. I know you two fought to make the world a better place for me to grow up in. Harry and Gran have told me that millions of times. But don't you think that maybe the best world for me to grow up in would be with parents? Okay, no, I'm sounding bitter again." Teddy shook his head. "I just think, and it's a horribly selfish thought, but maybe I'd be just as happy growing up in a Voldemort world as long as you guys were with me. But no, that's not right. Other families would be torn apart on a daily basis. Selfish thought. Right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to turn into a self-pity fest. Merry Christmas."

Teddy drew out his wand. With a shaky hand, he conjured a wreath of flowers which he stuck to the grave. He glanced at it one last time before heading back to the building with the fireplace. His head was still spinning from all the mixed thoughts going on in his head. He did not even notice the old lady that had been in the row just behind him.

"Excuse me, young man?"

Surprised, Teddy turn around to see this old lady with her eyes flickering between Teddy and the tombstone she had been talking to. She looked much older than Teddy's grandmother. He had a feeling the woman could have been his great grandmother. Her back was hunched over with her arms behind her back. She seemed to be gazing very intently at Teddy's wand.

"Could you…?" She gestured vaguely between his wand and the grave.

"Oh, sure."

Teddy drew his wand out again and approached the grave. The name etched into it was one he did not recognize. He conjured a similar wreath of flowers in front of it.

"Thank you," the woman smiled, exposing missing teeth. "I'm not one of you folks," she said sadly, looking back to the grave. Teddy suddenly realized what she meant. He had not even thought he might have been using magic in front of a Muggle. But this woman was definitely different. She seemed to know about magic.

"My daughter," the woman said, nodding her head at the tomb. "She was one of you. Went to Hogwarts. Her father and I were of course shocked when we learned she would live in this whole new world… Very proud of course, but shocked. If we had known she'd be killed by these kinds of people, I don't know if we would have let her go to Hogwarts."

Teddy remained silent. He knew muggle born wizards and witches had been attacked during the war, though he never thought about the impact that may have had on their muggle families. His grandfather was one of them, yet his grandmother never talked about that side of the family much. Teddy had a feeling she never quite understood the Muggles.

"They let me in here since I'm a direct relation. They don't let any of her friends in though. Of course, with people like you making flowers appear out of thin air, I can see why not," she smiled sadly, eyeing Teddy's wand with fascination. Teddy concealed it under his robes.

"I'm sorry about that. The Death Eaters were merciless," Teddy sighed, unconsciously looking over at his parents and grandfather's graves.

"When the war was getting on, even we knew something in the world just was not right. I told Kathy we should get out of Britain. Things just weren't right. She refused though. She insisted that she had to fight. We were going to move to Wagga Wagga, Australia. My sister lived there and she said nothing like what was going on in Britain was going on over there-"

"Wagga Wagga? That's a real place?" Teddy said sharply. He had not meant to cut off the old lady and quickly apologized, but he had not expected to hear the name of that place in a graveyard of all places.

"Well, of course! In Australia. Do they not teach geography in Hogwarts? Kathy never seemed to know much about locations…"

"I- no, we don't learn much about it," Teddy said quickly. His mind was racing. In his ignorance, he had thought Lockhart had made up the term Wagga Wagga Werewolf. But if it was a real place, then maybe there was just a shred of hope that the Homorphus Charm was real, that the cure to lycanthropy was out there…

"Merry Christmas. I really do hope you have a good one," Teddy said earnestly. He had a sudden desire to leave the graveyard. A plan was unfolding in his head faster than he could keep up with.

"You too, young man. Thank you." She jerked her head towards the flowers that were happily sitting on her daughter's grave.

Looking over his shoulder, Teddy nodded as he walked briskly towards the building with the fire. The man residing in the building scowled at the snow Teddy tracked in, but Teddy did not have time to apologize. He practically sprinted into the fireplace. Without realizing when he had decided to change his destination, he bellowed, "Ministry of Magic!" and threw the powder into the now green flames.

-v-v-v-

He spun out of the black fireplace of the Ministry of Magic. The place was deserted except for a guard in the far distance. He brushed a mixture of soot and snow off his coat as he looked around the Ministry. The black walls looked unrelenting, yet there was some sort of happy memory Teddy associated with them from the days when Harry would bring him to work before Teddy had even enrolled in Hogwarts. His plan was more or less thought out at this point. It was just a little bit crazy. It might not have even amounted to anything. But Teddy figured he had to give it a try, even if it meant being late to the Burrow Christmas dinner.

He turned away from the guard who was still too far away to notice his presence. Closing his eyes, he morphed his hair into an even untidier black, contorted his face a bit, made his eyes emerald green and etched a lightning shaped scar onto his forehead. Lastly, he conjured a pair of round glasses and carefully placed them on his nose. For all the guard knew, Harry Potter had just walked into the Ministry of Magic.

"Mr. Potter! Working on Christmas?" the guard exclaimed as Teddy walked by. The guard looked like he was completely bored and would not have minded a long conversation with anyone. If it was Harry Potter, well, even better.

"Just need to get something. Merry Christmas," Teddy mumbled. From a young age, he had mastered morphing into Harry's features. However, he could never get his voice quite right. There were some things Polyjuice Potion was just better for. Teddy hurried past the guard and into the elevator where he jammed the button for the Auror office.

When he alighted onto the floor, his heart sank as he realized he would need identification in order to get into the Auror premises. He had been hoping the Ministry had relaxed its security since the war. It most certainly had, though not quite to the extent that anybody could go searching through the Head Auror's files. A new idea leapt into his mind as from the corner of his eye, he saw a young man pushing some sort of cleaning trolley.

"Excuse me!" Teddy called out in his best imitation of Harry's voice. He admitted it was pretty bad, but he was relying on the young man not to have had a conversation with his godfather before. The man stopped and immediately walked over to Teddy's side. His eyes were wide as he examined Teddy's morphed features eagerly.

"M-Mr. Potter! Is there anything at all I could help you with?" the man exclaimed excitedly.

Teddy glanced down at the badge on the man's chest which declared that he was part of the Magical Maintenance Department. It all seemed to work out too well.

"I left my ID at home. Didn't expect to turn up here on Christmas. Could you…?" Teddy nodded towards the door that refused to open for him. He was correct in believing that the man would have never talked to Harry Potter before and therefore did not know the sound of his voice well enough to see that Teddy was a fraud.

"Oh, of course, Mr. Potter!" the young man cried. He waved his wand over the door which opened easily. What luck it was to find somebody from the Maintenance Department who could open any door.

"Thank you. Merry Christmas," Teddy smiled. He awkwardly stood there, hoping the man would go away. However, the man just stared eagerly at him. Clearing his throat, Teddy slipped into the premise, closing the door behind him so that the man might leave him.

From there, Teddy knew exactly where his godfather's office was. There were no Aurors in for the Christmas holidays. Teddy really could not have chosen a better time to break in. He walked right past Ron's office and stopped at the door of Harry's. For a moment he wondered if there would be more identification necessary to get in. However, as soon as he placed his hand on the door knob, the door opened without resistance. Harry, always the trusting one, never thought anyone would want to break into his office.

Teddy locked the door behind him as he glanced around the office. Not much had changed since the last time he had visited, except that maybe it was a bit messier. It was quite a spacious office, with books that Teddy was sure his godfather had never read lining one wall and a large glass window at the other wall. Of course, since the Ministry was underground, the view from the window was not actually real. However, it was enchanted to match the weather outside. Teddy shivered as he remembered the windy snowy weather he had just come from. Behind Harry's desk, in the corner of the room, looking almost insignificant was what Teddy was looking for. A stack of blank parchment resting on a podium.

Harry had taught him how to use this device before. There weren't many around. Harry believed there was only one in his office and the Minister's office. Teddy tapped the parchment gently with his wand.

Across the parchment, there appeared a single word. _"Yes?"_

Teddy tapped the parchment again, muttering under his breath, "Wagga Wagga, Australia."

The parchment slowly filled with the names of the hundreds of witches and wizards who lived in the city. The stack of parchment was none other than a file of every witch or wizard the Ministry had come across. Teddy had seen Harry use it before, when tracking down the families of victims, or friends of supposed criminals who could give more insight. The key was to just keep saying what you knew about the person you wanted to find in order to narrow the list down.

Teddy looked at what he had. There was a whole population of witches and wizards living in this city he had not even known existed. He bit his lip as he wondered what to do next. One of these people had to be the real person who had performed the Homorphus Charm. After all, Harry and Ron had said that while Lockhart himself was a fraud, there was _somebody_ out there who was actually doing all of the stuff he wrote about in his books. He would just obliviate them.

Teddy's heart skipped a beat. Tapping the parchment with his wand again, he muttered "Memory loss."

Slowly, the names of the witches and wizards began to disappear. Teddy was afraid they'd all disappear and he'd be left with absolutely no more clues and that he'd have to dismiss any Homorphus Charm hopes. Teddy gripped his wand tighter and tighter as more names disappeared from the list until there was just one left. He held his breath. The name did not go away. Baben Aloyan. A rather odd name.

He tapped his wand against the name so hard, had the parchment not been enchanted, he may have ripped it. Words filed down under the name, giving Teddy a complete profile of everything he would have ever wanted to know about the wizard.

He scanned over the profile. The wizard was Armenian. He had moved to Wagga Wagga, Australia in 1980. Memory loss had come about around 1985, and he had never recovered from it since. He had gone to school not at Hogwarts, but at a similar Wizarding school in Armenia. The school had something Hogwarts did not- something called an Emphasis. Teddy supposed it had to be something that the student was particularly interested in and wanted to pursue above all else. Mr. Baben Aloyan's Emphasis… Teddy's heart nearly failed on him right then as he stood in Harry's office with his wand hand shaking… _werewolves_.

He had not actually expected to get such concrete results. At the most, he was hoping that he could just find the names of some witches and wizards in Wagga Wagga and take a visit there to see if any of them could tell him more about the supposed Wagga Wagga Werewolf. But to find this man, this Baben Aloyan, seemed too good to be true. An Emphasis on werewolves, a sudden memory loss right before Lockhart's book had been published… Teddy, even in his most pragmatic state, had to admit these were some very convincing coincidences. The room spun as his head began to plan some more. He had to meet this man. _But he is completely obliviated_ a voice in his head countered. Teddy cursed Lockhart under his breath. Still, he could take the trip to Australia just to learn more about the stories…

Teddy glanced at his watch. Cursing again, he found that he was very late to dinner. Before clearing the parchment, he glanced one more time at Mr. Aloyan's profile.

"_Gemino_," Teddy murmured. An exact duplicate of the profile appeared in Teddy's hand. He carefully folded it and tucked it inside his robes before clearing the parchment. Before he could do any werewolf research in Australia, he had a family dinner to attend.

-v-v-v-

Teddy slipped quietly into the Burrow, having opted for apparating just outside the door instead of taking the Floo networkand appearing abruptly in the middle of dinner. As he closed the door behind him, he could hear the ruckus that only a Weasley dinner could have made. There were hearty laughs coming from the adults at one end of the long table and jubilant screams from the kids at the other end. Teddy morphed away Harry's features into a much less suspicious turquoise and passed through the dark hallway to the well-lit dining room at the end of the hall.

"Teddy!" A very excited Lily Potter had jumped up from her chair, beaming as Teddy tried to enter the room without much notice. He smiled sheepishly back as the entire Weasley clan stared at the newcomer. They had already started dinner, and rightfully so, seeing that Teddy was more than an hour late.

"Sorry, I was-" Teddy began.

"Oh, no need to worry, dear!" Molly Weasley exclaimed, beaming at Teddy. She always had a way of making him eat far more than he could handle. "We're just glad you made it. And I thought for a moment you wouldn't come!"

"I wouldn't miss one of your dinners," Teddy grinned. He walked to the end of the table to the only available seat between Lily and Albus. He saw his grandmother give him a suspicious look from the adult end of the table while Harry smiled at him, having no idea Teddy had just impersonated him and broke into his office. Victoire was correct in saying that Charlie would come back for Christmas this year. He was sitting between Bill and Angelina, George's wife, with a few more scars running along his arms since the last time Teddy had seen him. Teddy did not even want to try to count how many people had occupied the long table that was now very heavily weighed down with Mrs. Weasley's cooking. His grandmother was sitting rigidly upright between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Bill, Charlie, Angelina, George, Percy, Audrey, Fleur, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all lined the left end of the table, commonly known as the 'adult end' by James. Then there was the end that Teddy had sat at for the last seventeen years. Teddy looked with wonder at just how many Weasley and Potter kids there were now, most with the characteristic flaming red hair. His heart did a strange sort of dance as his eyes scanned over Victoire for the first time since Slughorn's party. She gave a small smile of acknowledgment as Teddy glanced over, while Dominique, just to the left of her, chose to glare at him instead. Teddy could have sworn that even little Louis cast the occasional glare at him.

As Teddy began helping himself to Mrs. Weasley's cooking, the requests began to flood in. Teddy was pretty sure that the adults would keep him at this end of the table for as long as they could, even now that he was of age, since he was the only one who could entertain all twelve of the younger generation at once with a single shift of his features. He had at this point mastered the pig nose, duck beak, dog snout, and even bowtruckle fingers if he was really in the mood.

"Do the pig ears!" Fred demanded, pounding his small fist on the table.

"No, I like rabbit ears!" Lily exclaimed, pulling at Teddy's arm.

"How about rabbit ears and pig nose?" Albus suggested while James nodded approvingly.

All the requests made Teddy's eating process slower since he would have to put his fork down in order to properly morph. However, the kids were in no rush to finish the meal and looked eagerly on as Teddy morphed into all sorts of absurd combinations of creatures that would have made a Hippogriff look normal. Teddy stole occasional glances at Victoire, only to find that she was either gazing absent mindedly away from his antics or deep in conversation with Dominique. Louis, however, had given up the façade of anger at Teddy and was now arguing with Lucy over which adult Teddy should morph into next.

"Do Uncle Ron," James sniggered to the murmuring of approval from the rest of the kids.

With a quick apologetic look at Ron, Teddy morphed his features into an exaggerated version of Harry's best friend. He made the stomach that Ron had developed over the years bulge out just slightly more and his bright orange hair run past his eyes the way Ron's did when he badly needed a haircut. Teddy could see Ron shaking his head but smiling with amusement as Harry and Hermione exploded in laughter from down the table. Rose began to giggle with delight that seemed to infect all the other kids on Teddy's side of the table, finally giving Teddy a moment to enjoy his meal. His heart leapt as he heard even Victoire's faint laugh among the others.

Hours later, the family had finished the Christmas meal and was scattered all around the Burrow. Most of the adults were casually conversing in the kitchen while Albus made Teddy play a game of Gobstones with him in the living room where the rest of the family was idly relaxing. George was entertaining Victoire and some of the other kids with his newest invention- some sort of vapor inhaled through the nose. Teddy could not tell what the effect was, but James was looking awfully giddy as he swayed in his chair.

"Ha!" Albus smiled triumphantly as one of Teddy's gobstones fell off the table and squirted a putrid liquid into his face. Teddy wrinkled his nose as the liquid glopped against his forehead, forcing him to inhale the awful smell. By the end of the game, both his and Albus' faces were covered in it. Dominique took one look at the pair of them and turned away in disgust, preferring to chat with her Aunt Ginny.

"Well, we best be going now," Bill yawned, wrapping an arm around his wife.

"So soon?" Molly asked anxiously. She looked a bit red from the wine she and her husband had taken out of the cellar.

"C'mon you guys." Bill nodded towards his three children. Dominique immediately walked over to her father's side while Louis remained in the living room, arguing with Fred over their chess game. Bill gave his children slightly more time as he began saying goodbye to all of his siblings. Teddy raised his head from the game to see Victoire staring at him from across the room, arms folded. Her eyes made contact with his for the first time that night. They flicked quickly over to the empty dark hallway that led to the door. Teddy immediately excused himself from Gobstones and followed Victoire's slender frame into the hallway. He found her leaning against the door with just the light of a small candle illuminating her face.

Teddy suddenly felt very conscious of the disgusting liquid smeared across his face. He tried to rub it off with his sleeve only to have Victoire slap his arm away from his face. Taking her wand out in an almost frustrated manner, she pointed at his face which instantly felt a lot cleaner.

"You can't do magic outside of Hogwarts yet. You're still underage," Teddy said, taking in for a moment how close they were.

"You're welcome," Victoire sighed sarcastically. She put her wand back in her robe. "The Ministry will never be able to tell it was me with everyone else around." In the dim light Teddy could see her hand gesture towards the crowd of adults that were still in the illuminated kitchen.

"Right. Well, thanks." He made an effort to keep his hands to himself as his eyes eagerly took in Victoire's face. He had been so used to seeing her every day at Hogwarts that the few days he had not during the holidays had felt almost excruciating.

"I have a present for you," she continued.

"Really?" Teddy felt his ears turn red. They had never exchanged presents before, so he had not even bothered to think about getting her a Christmas present.

"It's nothing much," she sighed. She drew something small out of her robes that could not be identified in the dim light. "It's from when I was in France this summer. My grandmother took me to this special French chocolate shop and I thought of you. I know how much you like chocolate. I bought a bar and I meant to give it to you as a present but your birthday isn't for a while, so I thought Christmas would be a good time. It has some sort of Preservation Charm on it so you don't have to worry about it getting stale."

"Wow, Victoire. Thanks!" Teddy felt something cold being pressed against his hand as Victoire withdrew her hand, brushing tantalizingly against Teddy's palm. He quickly racked his brain. Was he supposed to give her something in return? In the dark he could not read her face. She was beginning to turn around to head back to the kitchen where the rest of her family was. He did not want to lose her again…

"Wait, I have something for you too," Teddy lied. Flicking his wand behind his back, he conjured the same small flower that he had rested on his grandfather's grave into his free hand.

"A flower?" Victoire said blankly.

Teddy looked down at his own extended hand that was holding the flower in its fingertips. He saw now that there were still very visible traces of magic sparkling around it. It was very obviously just conjured. But she did not know the significance of the flower- that it was the type of flower he had formerly reserved for those that meant the most to him…

"Thanks," she said distantly, taking the flower from Teddy's hands.

She was about to turn back to the kitchen when the hallway suddenly flooded with light, shining down on Victoire and Teddy. Bill had gathered his wife and children and was beginning to head out the door. They were flanked by the rest of the massive family coming to see them out. James cast a suspicious look between Teddy and Victoire, as if to ask what they were doing by themselves in a dark hallway.

"You ready, Victoire?" Bill asked. He was already making his way to the door regardless of whether or not his daughter was ready. Dominique took the opportunity to give Teddy a good glare as she waited for her sister's reply.

"Yup," Victoire said shortly. She had concealed the little flower within the palm of her hand. Dominique's keen eyes however, did not miss it. She looked at the flower suspiciously as Victoire said goodbye to the rest of her relatives.

Fleur and Louis departed out the door first. Teddy could see that the snow had accumulated considerably outside with the wind just as strong as earlier in the day. Bill left next with a last smile and wave to his parents. Teddy's eyes followed Victoire as she exited through the doorway next. She had wrapped her coat around herself one more time to brave the wind before stepping out. Teddy took a quick look at her hand. With a subtle twitch, her hand let his flower fall to the snow just outside the doorstep. And without hesitation, Dominique pranced out of the Burrow and with a flick of her foot successfully buried the flower under a pile of relentless, hard snow.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Whew! That took a lot of effort. For the first time, I actually don't have any of the next chapter written. I just needed to get this one out. I have a very clear idea of where this story is headed. I just need to write it. Some motivation is always good... hint hint. Thanks again for the reviews so far! They make me happy.<p> 


	11. Hope

"I can't believe you're dragging me out on the last day of break. I haven't finished my Charms essay yet."

"I'll let you copy mine."

"Lovely. Now what are we doing?"

"Going to Australia."

"You really think we can find this guy?"

"I think we can try."

"Right. So we're just going to barge into this guy's house?"

"He lives with some sort of caretaker. I figured you could go talk to the caretaker and distract her while I get into the house. James let me borrow his Invisibility Cloak."

"That's called breaking in, mate."

"But you'll help me anyway?"

"For your Charms essay."

"Next!" a grumpy looking witch from behind a podium in the Ministry of Magic called out. Teddy immediately stood up from the chairs they had been waiting in, knocking over the briefcase he had brought with him in the process. Eric picked it up in an easy swoop as they made their way to the podium.

"Did you put a feather light charm on this thing?" Eric muttered, weighing the briefcase in his hand.

"Yeah, Hermione gave that to me a few birthdays ago. It's got the undetectable extension charm on it and everything." Teddy walked a bit faster. The grumpy witch looked rather put off with having to wait.

"Destination?" she said shortly.

"Wagga Wagga, Australia." Teddy grabbed the briefcase back from Eric.

"Purpose?"

"Sightseeing," Eric said pleasantly.

She cast a suspicious glance at the two of them, as if trying to figure out why two students would want to spend their Christmas break observing scenery in Australia. However, when Eric smiled warmly back, she simply shook her head and pointed to one of the larger looking fireplaces in the Ministry.

"It works like any other Floo network. Next!"

Teddy hurriedly walked over to the large fireplace and grabbed a handful of the powder.

"Wagga Wagga, Australia!"

-v-v-v-

He saw Eric stumble out of the fireplace after him. They were in some sort of pub similar to the Leaky Cauldron though not nearly as populated. An elderly looking wizard glanced up from behind a bar and jerked his graying head toward the door on the opposite end of the room. All sorts of papers were pinned to the wooden walls advertising bits of Australian culture that Teddy never knew existed. He took the wizard's advice and pushed open the creaking door.

"So where are we headed?" Eric said. They were both squinting in the Australian sunlight that contrasted sharply with the cold England they had just come from.

Teddy opened his briefcase and pulled out the profile he had copied in Harry's office days ago. "Here," he said, pointing at the address scrawled across the top.

"And do you have any idea how to navigate around this place?" Eric asked irritably.

"No. I imagine we could apparate there though now that we're on the same continent." Without waiting for Eric's reply, Teddy clasped a hand on his shoulder and felt himself being pulled through a tight vacuum while he focused on his destination.

"Mind giving me a warning the next time you do that?" Eric gasped.

"We're here." Teddy glanced down from the paper to the house number. The address matched up. The one story house looked incredibly old. It almost reminded Teddy of the Shrieking Shack. It was not boarded up or anything, but it did look like the wood could crumble down if there was just a minor earthquake. Teddy pulled out the Invisibility Cloak from the briefcase and draped it over himself. He had never actually used the Cloak before but had seen James disappear under it countless of times to know more or less how to wear it. He had to stoop to make it cover his entire body, but there was something oddly satisfying about not being able to see his torso.

"Well, what do I do now?" Eric was looking a good foot away from where Teddy was actually standing.

"Go knock on the door and pretend you're a Ministry surveyor or something. Make sure you open the door wide enough for me to get in. I'll give you some sort of signal when I'm done searching the house."

"You are such a trouble maker, Lupin," Eric mumbled, shaking his head but already ascending the stairs to the door. He knocked on the crumbling door with an authority that made Teddy think he could have knocked the entire house down. The door opened almost instantly to reveal an overly thin middle aged woman.

"Hi, my name is Mark Silver and I'm from the British Ministry of Magic," Eric began. His tone had become sickeningly charming as, in a bout of quick thinking, he flashed some sort of identification. "I have been assigned to take a sort of census around this region of Australia. May I come in?"

The woman looked back warily, her already thin lips practically disappearing as she surveyed Eric. Teddy had his wand ready just in case he needed to Confound the woman. She took another look at the Conjured identification, which Teddy had to admit was rather impressive looking, and opened the door wider to let him in. Eric smiled warmly as he entered the house, holding the door open behind him just a bit longer than one would normally. Teddy let the Cloak brush past Eric's arm to signal that he had safely made it into the house.

The house, if possible, looked even smaller on the inside than on the outside. There appeared to only be one room with a sort of hallway in the back that gave the entire house an L shape. The main room took up most of the space in the house. There were two shabby couches and a few small tables scattered around looking like they did not have much of a point. The carpet was a dull purple that clashed horribly with the lime green peeling wallpaper which held an assortment of old newspaper clippings and posters of bands that no longer existed. The room smelled awfully like stale bread, which Teddy guessed was coming from the suspiciously green cupboard under a repulsive looking sink.

"May I sit?" Eric asked pleasantly. Teddy walked quietly along the walls, keeping a lookout for any umbrella stands or ladybugs that could potentially trip him. He silently wished that he knew a spell to make the floorboards under the purple carpet creak less when he walked, though he had never even thought about learning one. He made his way to the other side of the room. Sure enough, there was a long dark hallway that led to two other rooms, both with closed doors.

"So my first question. How many people live in this household?" Eric asked. He had Conjured a quill and parchment as he pretended to record the information.

"Two," the woman wheezed. She and Eric were sitting across from each other with one of the random tables between them. Teddy could not help but think that the woman should take a trip to St. Mungo's for her voice was incredibly raspy and her body disturbingly thin.

"Who is the other resident of this house?" Eric continued. Teddy held his breath as he waited for the answer.

"I am assigned to take care of him," she said hoarsely. She looked more like she needed taking care of.

"Ah, I see! And where is this gentleman?" Eric smiled. His smooth talking was one of the main reasons Teddy had brought him along.

"In the room over there." She pointed straight at where Teddy was. Behind him was one of the two doors he had discovered earlier.

"May I see him?"

"If you must."

Teddy quickly moved out of the way as the woman approached the door and opened it carefully. The creaking was louder than anything the floorboards had done. She remained in the doorway as Eric peered over her shoulder. Frustrated, Teddy attempted to look over Eric's tall frame but failed.

"May I speak to him?" Eric asked.

"He won't respond. I'm assigned to care for him because he can't do much anymore."

"Well, I'll need to get a good look to make sure the Ministry's portrait of him is still accurate. Mind if I go in?" He was already pressing against the door frame. The woman sighed loudly in a clear attempt to get Eric out of the house but still moved aside to let Eric through. He threw the door open much wider than necessary, almost hitting Teddy's foot as he made his way into the room. Teddy slipped in behind the now very open doorway.

The room let in a lot more light than the purple room had. There was no carpet- only a wooden floor with wooden walls around it. It was completely empty except for an uncomfortable looking bed, a beat up desk, and a rocking chair. Teddy followed Eric to the rocking chair where a delicate old man sat, gazing out the window into the cloudless day.

"Hello. My name is Mark Silver and I'm from the Ministry of Magic," Eric began. The old man did not respond but continued gazing out the window with large orb like eyes.

"He won't respond," the caretaker grunted in her thick Australian accent.

"What has happened to him?"

"The Healers think he was Obliviated."

"How awful," Eric muttered. He was already leaving the room. "May we continue with my questioning back in the main room?"

"Very well."

As the two of them left the room, Eric gave a very significant glance around the room. He was buying Teddy time with the old man, though from the look, Teddy could tell that he thought any attempts would be futile. The door closed with a cloud of dust rising from it.

Teddy whipped off the Invisibility Cloak and tucked it under his robes. The old man did not show any sign of surprise from a man appearing out of thin air in the middle of his room. He was still nodding contentedly out the window, his expression clouded over in a dreamy gaze.

"Mr. Aloyen?" Teddy asked tentatively. The man did not acknowledge his presence. Teddy slowly walked over so that he was directly between the window and the rocking chair. He bent down so that he could stare straight into the man's clouded eyes. Still, he did not move.

"Mr. Aloyen, can you hear me?" Teddy asked desperately. The man still stared into his own world. Sighing, Teddy took out the wand from his robes and pointed it between the man's eyes. Still no reaction. He was hoping he would not have to do this.

"_Legilimens_."

To his surprise, he saw his own face staring back at him. Was that really all of the man's thoughts? He had never used Legilimency before but he had studied the theory behind it and thought he'd see more. But if the man had no thoughts except for those that he was thinking about at the moment… Teddy shuddered as he withdrew his mind from Aloyen's brain. Lockhart had done a fantastic job in obliviating the man. But had he really? Was this actually the man who Lockhart had gotten his findings from? Did that man even exist? Were he and Eric just pointlessly in Australia?

Something in the drawer of the desk began to rattle furiously. Teddy looked at it frantically, hoping its rattle would not cause the caretaker to come back in. Pointing his wand at the door, he cast an Imperturbable Charm on the door. He could hear Eric raise his voice ("What do you think about Celestina Warbeck? Yes, the singer. Yes, this is very important to the Ministry."). The drawer continued to rattle, but neither the old man nor the caretaker seemed to have registered it.

Teddy pointed his wand at the drawer nervously. Who knew what could be in the drawer in a house as decrepit as this one? But he had a feeling that he knew what creature enjoyed inhabiting dark places… With a flick of the wand, the drawer blasted open and two dark shapes emerged from within. They did not have all of the features anyone else would have had, for Teddy could not actually remember what they looked like. However, there were certain characteristics- a heart shaped face, spiky hair, and on the other, a tall, tired frame… But they had unmistakable scowls on their faces as they turned away from Teddy, disgusted. The woman was shaking her head as she took the man's hand and began to walk away…

"_Riddikulus,"_ Teddy muttered under his breath. The boggart vanished instantly, leaving both the drawer and the room silent. The old man shifted in the chair slightly but continued his vigilant gaze out the window. He had learned to counter boggarts years ago back in his third year at Hogwarts, yet the sight of his parents' disappointment still unfazed him a bit. Composing himself, he drew his attention to the desk. He had to force his way into the drawers with a few _Alohomoras_ and even some gentle _Reductos_ but he soon had each drawer opened. There was not much in the first two drawers. More newspaper clippings and aging photographs from when the man was younger. The last drawer, however, was stacked with papers.

Teddy gently lifted the papers out of the drawer. They had the crinkly feel of not having been touched or having seen light in years. The parchment was yellowing and the ink fading but there was no mistake as to what the topic of the papers was. There were carefully labeled diagrams of bone structures on some pages and countless of scribbles on others. As Teddy flipped through the pages, he saw one word underlined countless of times that confirmed all of his thoughts- Homorphus.

"Er, what is your favorite color?" Eric said loudly from the adjacent room. It was a signal, Teddy knew, to get ready to leave. Eric was incredible at smooth talking, but even he could not keep the caretaker there forever.

"_Gemino_," Teddy said furiously, waving his wand over the entire stack of papers. He quickly checked that the new stack of papers had copied correctly before shoving them into his briefcase and draping the Invisibility Cloak over himself again. With a flourish of the wand, he filed all of the papers he had removed from the drawer back into the desk. Although he had not quite learned how to become an Animagus from Nover's lessons, he had learned the filing trick.

The caretaker turned with alarm as Teddy slowly opened the door and stepped back into the purple room.

"Must be the wind," Eric covered. The caretaker, still looking at the open door, nodded reluctantly.

"Well, that's all the information I needed. Thank you for your hospitality. Your answers mean a lot to the Ministry," Eric smiled.

"Right. Well, goodbye then," the caretaker muttered uncertainly. She was still looking at the door as if a ghost had walked through.

-v-v-v-

"Well?" Eric asked. He did not look hopeful at all, but rather looked like he wanted to roll his eyes and pretend the whole thing had never happened.

Teddy began to explain everything that he had found. They were sitting in a busy café that was just down the street from Mr. Aloyen's house since they had plenty of time left before they had to go back to the British Ministry of Magic. He began to take out the copied notes carefully, almost afraid that they might have never existed. He carefully laid them out on the table as Eric furrowed his eyebrows and analyzed the diagrams.

"These are…" Eric began, Teddy holding his breath while waiting for his friend's opinion, "intricate."

"Do you think it works?" Teddy demanded. He was looking at some of the papers himself. He had skimmed through the theory a bit back in the house, but now that he was really reading it, all of the writing seemed to add up perfectly.

"I mean… these diagrams look pretty convincing." Eric pointed at one of the papers dedicated solely to pictures of the bone structure within both the human and wolf foot. They detailed the transformation the human foot had to undergo- which bones had to collapse, which had to extend, all with excruciating detail.

"It's very impressive," Eric muttered. His eyes were pressed so close to the paper as if he thought he would absorb all of it through osmosis. Teddy Conjured his own quill and began making marks on the papers, sometimes filling in the faded ink and at other times adding his own notes.

"See, this part might be a slightly flaw," Teddy pointed out almost an hour later. They had been poring over the papers with an interest they had never put into their normal studies. "The earlier pages state that it's not the wolf you're trying to separate from the man, it's the man himself. So I think it'd make more sense to flick your wand in an outward motion rather than the inward one he suggests here."

"Mm, yeah, that makes sense. You're the Transfiguration God," Eric murmured absent mindedly.

"Listen, Teddy. I have something to tell you," Eric said suddenly. His eyes looked tired from reading over the papers so keenly.

"What is it?"

"I did it. The day after Christmas I was just fooling around, kind of practicing, and it worked. I'm an Animagus."

Teddy felt his heart sink for the first time since finding the papers. Eric was looking at him with concern as if afraid that he had offended him.

"That's great, Eric," Teddy said curtly.

"I… I mean, now I might be able to help you more. I mean, I don't know what I did but it worked…"

"What's your animal form?"

"A ferret. Same as my patronus."

Teddy smiled slightly as he imagined Eric as a ferret. It was not hard to do- he always thought he resembled one.

"Right. Well, that's great. I'll have to work harder then." Teddy did not manage to hide the annoyance in his voice. He was happy for Eric, but Eric did not even care that much about becoming an Animagus. Not nearly as much as Teddy did anyway. And Teddy had always been better at Transfiguration than he had…

"You know, I reckon you're right about the outward motion. He seems to have forgotten it over on this page too. That you're controlling the man, not the wolf," Eric said slowly.

"Yeah. Yeah, just mark it in."

Teddy felt his stomach sink again as he could not help but think that his parents' disappointment might no longer have been just a boggart. Eric had outshone him, and he felt curiously miserable.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: It's August 22nd, which means I leave for college tomorrow. I actually wrote this chapter a while ago but have been too busy to upload it. I figured I should before I left though. I wasn't too happy with this chapter (I haven't reread it since so hopefully it's okay) but it needed to happen somewhere if I want to stick with my story line. But yeah, I'm off to college tomorrow! Which means my free time will diminish considerably so updates will be... rare. But thanks for everyone who has stuck with me this far and I really will try to finish this one day. I have the outline written down, so as long as I don't lose that, we're good. I'm sure you will be able to entertain yourselves on Pottermore. I know I have. RoseErised203 if you want to add me :) Until my next patch of free time... "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"<p> 


	12. Return

"Teddy Remus Lupin, where have you _been_?"

Teddy pulled the book off of his face, only to find a fine line of drool still connecting him to the book. He wiped it away in disgust, hoping none of the book's ink had smeared onto his face.

"I put a locking charm on the door for a reason," Teddy muttered grouchily as Eric hopped onto the seat across from him in the compartment he had, until a moment ago, all to himself.

"Yeah, well, your locking charms are good, but not as good as my unlocking charms,'' Eric grinned.

"You're talking about your quick wit now, aren't you,'' Teddy grumbled, smiling in spite of himself.

"Gets me past more than just locked doors," he beamed, looking besides himself with his cleverness. "Now tell me why you decided to lock yourself in your own compartment on your last train ride back to Hogwarts ever while a bunch of hopeless first years can't even find a place to sit?''

``Oh.'' It had not dawned on Teddy that it would be his last train ride back. He looked out the window at the trees whisking by with a slightly greater appreciation. ``I had a late night.''

``Reading those Homorphus papers?'' Eric asked, lowering his voice even though the rattling of the luggage overhead was more than enough to cover their voices.

``Yeah. You reckon I should show Nover?'' Teddy stretched, his bones grateful for movement after what felt like years of being frozen in one position.

``Probably. But you're not going to. Because you have a thick head full of pride.'' He paused. ``And you'd have to explain that whole breaking and entering thing.''

Teddy was not sure whether he was talking about his use of the Invisibility cloak to get into Mr. Baloyen's house or his metamorphed disguise to get into Harry's office. But he was right, neither way was entirely legal. He wrung his hands, suddenly at a loss of anything to say to his best friend.

``This is how we met,'' Eric said, clearly in a nostalgic mood. Was that how Teddy was supposed to feel? His last return to Hogwarts. It should have been bittersweet but instead he was hoping it'd be over soon, that he could bury himself away in the Gryffindor tower where Eric could not bother him and he could put a silencing charm on his bed. Only a few more months of his wizarding education, and most of those would be spent preparing for N.E.W.T.s. Then if all went well, to the Auror department with Harry, and then what?

``Yeah,'' Teddy agreed.

``You're a real drag right now, you know that?'' Eric scoffed.

``Sorry,'' Teddy mumbled.

``No. My fault. I'm the one who insisted on coming in here.''

Yes, to the Auror department, to live out his mother's much too short career. That had always been the plan. It would make his grandmother proud. That was all he wanted, really. If for some reason becoming Celestina Warbeck's lead backup dancer was what would have made his grandmother proud, Teddy would have done it, would have worked out some way to overcome his clumsy dance maneuvers. And if that was what drove him, why did it all feel so... pointless?

He looked out the window again. Then he saw that even in the bright sky, the pale outline of an almost complete circle contrasted against the blue. Of course. His thoughts only ever got this dark when the full moon began to show itself. It would still be a few days. _This one will be bad_, Teddy thought, if he was already like this a few days beforehand. He'd have to take proactive measurements. Brew a cauldron, maybe two, of Calming Draught. Maybe add extra Valerian Sprigs to increase the sleepiness effect, but he found that sometimes the unconscious was a scarier place to be than the conscious.

``Listen... Are you mad at me?'' Eric asked uncharacteristically timidly. It shook Teddy out of his stupor.

``Why would I be mad at you?'' he asked blankly.

Eric shifted in his seat, looking almost 2D against it.

``About the whole Animagus thing,'' he shrugged.

Teddy looked away. ``Why would I be mad at you about that?'' he asked, though he knew he was mad, angry at something, and Eric would be the easiest one to blame... ``You're just better than me at Transfiguration-''

``Ha!'' Eric let out one explosion of a laugh that seemed to rattle the train. ``The day I'm better than you at Transfiguration is the day you become a professional dancer.'' Teddy blinked. He wondered if Eric had also been considering a career in backup dancing before talking to Teddy.

``No, Teddy...'' Eric said softly, running his hand through his short hair back and forth. ``I don't know how I did it, but I know if there's anyone who should be one, it's you.'' He sat up straighter then, and forced Teddy to make eye contact with him. ``I'll help you, Teddy. I'd do anything for you. We'll practice every spare hour if that's what it takes. You're my best friend, mate, and... I hate seeing you like this.''

Teddy looked up at the roof of the compartment where his luggage banged against the rack happily. His lower lip was beginning to quiver and he cursed the moon for making him feel like this. What did he do to deserve a friend like this? And because he was never one for words, he held out his hand. Eric took it, and before either of them realized it, they were performing the overly long handshake they had made up their third year but had not used since. Eric laughed and Teddy found himself grinning in spite of himself.

``Dude, you still look like you're going to cry any moment though,'' Eric said. Before Teddy could protest, he held up a hand. ``I've only known you since we were 11. But there's a bunch of people who knew you before that. I figured one of us should know how to cheer you up, so...''

With a flick of his wand, the compartment door burst open and a very familiar redhead beamed. Behind him, the pouting face of Dominique who did not look like she wanted to be there at all, and behind her, sending Teddy's heart skipping so many beats for a moment he thought it might have stopped, Victoire.

``Hey guys...'' Teddy managed. He had not seen them since Christmas. Teddy had not even gone to Kings Cross with them, his grandmother taking him instead.

``Teddy, you're the best Head Boy ever,'' James grinned, jumping into the seat next to Eric. ``There's at least two Portable Swamps in the first compartment and someone replaced all of the trolley lady's cups with Nose Biting Teacups,'' he said smugly, in a way that completely gave away who exactly the mastermind behind these pranks were.

``Ah, I keep forgetting...'' Teddy mumbled. It was a wonder they had not taken his badge away yet. In fact, where was his badge...?

``Ow!'' Dominique cried when she tried to sit at the end of the compartment. Teddy winced when she pulled his Head Boy badge from under her and decided he deserved her glare.

``Er, sorry about that...'' he smiled apologetically, but no matter how he morphed he knew his smiles never had any effect on the younger Weasley daughter. He dared a quick glance over at the older one. Her slight smile of amusement lifted his mood infinitely. With a fancy bit of wand work, he cleaned up the cabinet so it did not look like the wreck he had been sleeping in. He gave Eric a grateful smile. Eric's eyes twinkled.

``I guess I should go clear up that swamp...'' Teddy began, hating to leave his company already.

``I got you, mate,'' Eric said happily. Waving his wand, he turned his hair turquoise and conjured an alarmingly good replica of Teddy's badge. He looked nothing like Teddy, but even Dominique laughed at the effort. ``Seeya in class.'' Teddy made a mental note to buy Eric whatever he wanted the next time they paid a visit to Uncle George's shop.

``Alright, James, you're coming with me,'' Dominique said cheerily. Victoire had turned her head away from Teddy and was scratching her ear.

``What?'' James asked, clueless. ``Where are we going?''

``Away.'' She grabbed James' arm and dragged him out of the compartment.

``Hey, that's my Quaffle arm...!'' Teddy heard James cry just as the door closed behind him.

``So,'' Victoire said, moving to the opposite seat before Teddy could say anything awkward. ``How was the rest of your break?''

``Terrible,'' Teddy said without missing a beat.

She raised an eyebrow. ``Oh?''

If there was one thing he could appreciate about the full moon, it was that it distorted his emotions and made him bolder.

``Because I didn't get to see much of you.''

She ran a hand through her smooth hair but did not smile. ``We were both busy,'' she shrugged.

``Will you make room for me in your busy life when we return to Hogwarts?'' Teddy asked. He was not below morphing his eyes just a bit larger, just a bit more hopeful...

This time she smiled. ``Somehow I can't say no to you, Teddy Lupin.''

``I ate the chocolate you got me,'' Teddy continued, not wanting this conversation to end.

``What did you think?''

``Best fucking chocolate I've ever had.''

She giggled. ``It said it was to prevent hair loss.''

``You got me chocolate to prevent hair loss...?'' He ran a subconscious hand through his hair. He morphed it thicker.

``I didn't want my favorite part of you just falling off one day.'' To his surprise, the tops of her cheeks became just the slightest bit pink.

``It won't,'' Teddy assured.

``Promise?''

She looked right into his eyes, the blue hard, not quite icy, but certainly not warm. What was she asking him for? Not about the hair, no, this was more than that. He could not mess up again. Promise never to forget her, promise never to hurt her, promise to always be her... friend.

``I promise.''

She leaned back in the chair. ``I've missed you, Teddy.'' She bit her lip.

Teddy looked out the window. It would be the last time he would see the turrets of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry zooming towards him as the train rattled on, the last time he would hear the shouts of first years mingled with fifth years buying last minute snacks from the trolley, the last time he would sit across from her...

No. Not the last time.

``And I, you,'' Teddy said softly.

Hogwarts was waiting, and he knew he still had something great to do.

* * *

><p>AN: It's been 3 years since I've updated. And I am so, so, sorry. It took Rita Skeeter's reporting to bring me back (and now I guess this story isn't very canon anymore but alas!) but I really do hope I finish this one day. I do think my writing style has changed in the last three years, so bear with me as I try to settle back into Teddy's story. If there are any of you still reading, well, all I can say is _thank you._


	13. Rooting For You

Teddy was in full preparation mode. During Potions, he purposefully cut his Valerian Sprigs the wrong way, making Slughorn shake his head at him and order that they be tossed. Teddy scraped those into his bag and proceeded to pound the nettle into too fine of a powder.

"Really, what has gotten into you today, Teddy?" Slughorn demanded, peering over Teddy's foul smelling cauldron.

Teddy gave his best regretful smile. "Naturally clumsy, Professor."

He could have just asked Slughorn for the ingredients he needed. And if Slughorn did not give them up, he could have thrown Harry's name in and he would surely have gotten more than he needed. But he did not want to deal with the questions. After his fall in Gryffindor Tower, he wanted to keep as much pride as he could.

Having the potion was good. But not enough. He was tired of feeling that desperate loneliness. This time, he would conquer it and not feel even a dreg of that pain. The natural cure, he had discovered, was to be around people. He could talk to Mike, gather Eric and Meghan… and then what? They would be good company, but Teddy knew there was one person who worked magic on his moon illness, who could make even this dreaded feeling pass, whether he wanted it to be her or not.

"Victoire." Teddy leaned against the wall outside of her Transfiguration classroom, watching the other sixth-years exit the room, murmuring excitedly about whatever Professor Nover had just showed them.

She smiled at him, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder, stopping at the door so that others had to worm their way around her. That was her style though, to let others live their lives around her.

"Hello, Mr. Lupin. I do recall asking for your help with Transfiguration, but I did not mean with walking to and from the class." It seemed like every single one of her white teeth shined at him.

"Will you need my help Thursday night?" Teddy asked. Not the smoothest transition, but he could see her friends waiting for her at the end of the hall.

She looked at the ceiling in mock hesitation. "I guess I can afford to bump my Transfiguration grade up a few levels, if you insist,'' she smiled.

"Perfect." He could not help but to smile back. "Gryffindor Common Room at 8?" It would be right when the sun was setting and the moon began to show itself.

"Yeah. Don't be late," she winked. As she walked away, she turned around, walking backwards, something Teddy admired if only because he could never have done it without falling. "It's good to see the turquoise back."

And so the preparations were complete. He had his potion, he had good company, and he would even have his favorite subject to occupy his mind, keep him from thinking about the moon, the countless humans turning into beasts, keep him from thinking about her, it was just to help her homework, just to keep him sane… _But damn_, he sighed to himself, _she would look nice in the moonlight._

"Lupin?"

Professor Nover stepped out of the classroom, catching Teddy still smiling widely with his hair a more violent than usual turquoise.

"Ah, er, hi Professor,'' Teddy yelped, rearranging the books in his bag that did not need rearranging. "How are you?"

"Good…" the professor said, eyeing Teddy carefully. Teddy wanted to knock the mischievous twinkle in his eyes right out of his head. "May I help you?"

"Uh, no, I guess I came too early for my lesson. I'll come back later," Teddy smiled because he knew he had a good one, or at least could morph a good one.

"Okay. And Teddy?" Professor Nover called as Teddy was already scrambling down the hall.

"Yeah?" He turned around, still trying to back away.

"You know your lessons are Wednesdays, right? You're a day early."

"Oh. Right. All the studying. Addles my brain," Teddy smiled sheepishly. _Right foot, left foot, right foot, left…_

"I don't think that's what is addling your brain," he heard Nover mutter. Just as Nover turned back into his classroom, Teddy's left foot betrayed his right and he landed, admittedly expectedly, on the ground. He scrambled up and away before the professor could peek out to identify the source of the crashing sound. Surely Professor Nover did not always have to see him at his worst.

* * *

><p>"It <em>is<em> strange," Nover mused after fifteen minutes of watching Teddy sit on the ground, eyes closed, concentrating on turning his body into some sort of animal, any sort really. Teddy opened his eyes in exasperation.

"You know all of the theory," Nover continued, leafing through the latest book he had acquired about Animagi. "And in every other area you're perfect at application."

"Thanks," Teddy muttered. "Does this mean I don't have to take the N.E.W.T.?"

"No, I need your Outstanding to prove my teaching prowess to McGonagall," Nover smiled. "It really is strange though. It's almost like… you don't want it to happen."

"What? Of course I do," Teddy shot back. "It's not like I spend all this time here just to… spend time with you."

"Right." He closed the book and leaned back in his seat. "Let's talk about lighter matters. What do you _think_ your Animagus form would be?"

He felt like he was nine years old again, sleeping over at Harry's house with all of the kids asking each other what they would be if they could become Animagi. James had said a hawk. Albus was too young then and Lily not even born, but Dominique had declared a swan and Victoire thought the longest before settling on a turtle.

"Why a _turtle_?" Dominique had asked in disgust.

"Because then I could go on land or water." She was always one to keep her options open. "And because I could hide inside myself."

Teddy shrugged at Nover's question, just as he had when James posed the same question all of those years ago. "I don't know."

"Well there's the obvious one," Nover yawned.

"And what's that?"

He blinked. "A wolf."

Teddy looked away because he did not want to show Nover how badly he wanted that to be the case. A tangible link to his father, even to his mother, and more importantly, a way to get close to werewolves…

"What's your Patronus? Can you cast one?"

"Yeah." Harry had taught him himself back in the summer of his third year. Teddy was not allowed to use magic outside of school, but the Ministry never caught him, or perhaps just did not want to intrude on Harry Potter's domestic affairs. He remembered the tears in his godfather's eyes when he finally mastered it and a silvery wolf sat in front of them both, waiting for Teddy's orders. "What you said. A wolf."

"Same as your mother's," Nover mused.

Teddy swallowed. "Yeah."

The Professor tapped his long fingers against his desk. "Is it possible that you are too afraid of the outcome to put all of your effort into this transformation?"

Teddy frowned. "What do you mean?"

Nover pulled out a different book and flipped to a page towards the end. He shoved it into Teddy's face, an almost comical picture of a half bird, half human with the words, _EMBRACE THE OTHER SIDE_ printed across it as if it were an inspirational poster.

"It's like any basic Transfiguration. You have to believe in what you're transfiguring the object into and believe that it will work. So normally you know your goal- a teacup into a pig, a spider into a chair. But one of the hardest parts of becoming an Animagi, as you have experienced, is that you don't know what you're going to become. But you just have to believe it'll be right."

When Teddy said nothing, Nover closed the book. "Well it's getting late. I'll see you next week."

Teddy promised himself he would do better next week. But before that, there was a full moon to attend to.

* * *

><p>It was eight thirty, and Teddy was alone, and beginning to tremble. The sun had set completely and only darkness reigned the sky. He hadn't seen the full moon yet but he knew it was out there, lurking behind the turrets of the castle, waiting patiently to shine its light on him. And somewhere out there, they were beginning to writhe in agony, beginning to lose their human shapes, growing claws, baring fangs, howling…<p>

He hit the ground hard. It was only a fall from a chair, but a crowd of fourth years was around him immediately, helping him up.

"Thanks," Teddy managed, trying to disguise his heavy breathing. "Just clumsy…"

The fourth years laughed but left him when he had nothing more to say to them.

For the fifth time, he rearranged everything on the table. Transfiguration books to the left, Animagi books (covers transformed to look like the latest Quidditch magazines) on the right, parchment and quill in the middle, chocolate at the top, and his Calming Draught right in front of him. He poured himself yet another glass and downed it without much effect.

Nine o'clock. He should have gone with the Mike-Eric-Meghan plan. Shouldn't have put all of his eggs in one Victoire shaped basket. He hoped she was okay. Mike was at Quidditch practice and he did not want to leave Gryffindor Tower to find Eric or Meghan… For a moment he thought even James' company would be nice, but no, he would be at Quidditch practice as well…

Nine thirty. He had written a letter to his grandmother and one to Harry too. He even wrote one to Hermione, though wasn't sure why, and couldn't remember what he had written in any of them. He had just been writing to write, to get his mind off everything else.

At nine forty five, a pale slip of the moon shined into the Common Room. There were people around Teddy, he knew that, but he could not help but feel like the moon was shining only on him, beckoning to him…

A vein in his neck twitched. For a moment, it seemed like the world stopped as Teddy felt his neck with a shaking hand. _No…_ The transformation to a werewolf always started in the neck. He felt his whole body turn cold at the thought, the hair all across his body beginning to rise, black hair, he couldn't keep up his morph like this, his toes curled in… But the moment passed. He sat tense for another fifteen minutes before he let himself relax, wanting to laugh at having thought he was going to transform, at the impossibility of it all, but instead he began to cry.

He wiped the few tears he had let escape from him away in disgust and drank the rest of his Calming Draught. He knew he should have made more. No, he didn't know that, he had been counting on Victoire…

It was ten thirty when he heard her voice. "Teddy?"

He turned around, already ready to forgive her for her tardiness, as long as she would talk him out of the moon, only to find Dominique standing behind him instead.

"Hey…" Teddy muttered, surprising even himself with how weak his voice sounded.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." Why did he lie so often? "Have you seen your sister around?"

He expected an eye roll or a sarcastic comment, but instead she bit her lip. "Yeah. Um, I don't think she'll make it here tonight."

"Oh," Teddy said, swallowing his disappointment. "Is she alright?"

Dominique sat down besides Teddy on the floor, back leaning against the couch.

"I suppose when I said I saw her, I meant that I saw her falling out of a broom closet in some Hufflepuff boy's arms."

"Oh." Had he forgotten how to use other words? He ran a hand through the black hair he hated and began fumbling with the parchment and books.

"Are you alright?" she asked again.

And again he mumbled, "Yeah, yeah…"

"You don't look so good. Very pale. Morph some color into yourself, would you? You're worrying me…"

Teddy laughed, a short, distorted laugh. "I don't… I can't…"

She looked out the window and seemed to understand immediately. She was smarter than most people gave her credit for.

"The moon? But you're not a werewolf are you-"

"No, of course not," Teddy snapped, dropping a book. She picked it up for him. "I just get, moody, hopeless, it's only started happening recently and I don't know why but it normally helps to talk to someone…"

To his surprise, Dominique giggled.

"What?" he demanded.

She giggled again, unable to speak as she used her red hair to cover her mouth.

"Well Mr. Lupin, it sounds like you've begun your menstrual cycle."

Teddy gaped at her.

Sighing, she removed her pack from her shoulders and took out a gobstone set. It was one of those contradictory parts of her personality, where she held the school's popularity in her hands and used it to become the Captain of the Hogwarts' Gobstone Team. Victoire had explained that it was not contradictory at all, but fit exactly with Dominique's personality. It was a challenge, to make something that uncool cool. The Gobstone Team had its highest membership rate ever since Dominique became Captain.

"Let's play. I'll put some color on your face for you."

Teddy pushed the books off the table and their match began.

"This chocolate is good," Dominique said between turns. She had already captured twelve of Teddy's gobstones while he only had two of hers. "It's my favorite."

"Have all of it," Teddy muttered, eyeing the board carefully, trying to figure out what his best move would be.

"Oh," she said when she finished the chocolate, crumpled the trash, and captured another one of Teddy's gobstones all in one movement. "You got this for Victoire, didn't you. It's her favorite too."

Teddy shrugged. His face was too covered in putrid liquid for him to care what Dominique thought about his chocolate buying habits. Having made his move, he grinned as he watched six gobstones take aim and shoot all at once into Dominique's face.

"Teddy, you should join the gobstone team. That was brilliant," she said. She was not nearly as angry as he thought she'd be despite being covered in gunk.

"Maybe one day," he mused, but he knew there were enough guys on the team as it was.

"Do you know why I love Gobstones?" she asked. Despite Teddy's supposedly brilliant move, she captured his last gobstone and Teddy closed his eyes as his face was shot at one last time. "It was the only game I could beat my sister in. And every time I did I got to be prettier than her, for just a moment anyway."

Teddy bit his lip. "You're beautiful."

She scoffed. "Ew, Teddy. When you say that it's like my dad telling me that." She smiled though. "Thanks for playing." With a wave of her wand she cleared both of their faces.

"Are you headed up now?" Teddy asked, waving to the girls' dormitories.

"No. I think I'll wait for Victoire."

Teddy nodded. "Do you mind if I wait with you?"

When she shook her head, he sprawled out on the couch, the effects of the Calming Draught finally picking in, including the added effect of drowsiness he had altered in the recipe. He breathed deeply and slowly, the sound of Dominique's quill against parchment more comforting than any of his preparations had been.

"Teddy?"

"Gryah?" Teddy mumbled, already more than half asleep.

"I'm rooting for you," she said softly.

Before he could ask what she meant, his potion betrayed him and he was fast asleep.

* * *

><p><em> He's already asleep. He's been asleep for more than an hour already.<em>

_ Oh Merlin, I feel terrible. I completely forgot…_

_ Give him another chance, Victoire. I know he hurt your pride but he's good, the only one good enough for you, in my opinion._

_ Dom… _

_ Give him another chance. Because he's Teddy._

_ I…_

_ Do you like him?_

_ I don't know._

_ Why not?_

_ Because he's Teddy. _


	14. Wolf Blood

Meghan paid for his butterbeer.

"How much do I owe you?" Teddy asked, reaching into his robes.

"Don't. Let me feel like I'm on a real date," she smiled and took a sip of her butterbeer.

"Well then I should pay-"

"No. I don't believe in chivalry."

Teddy sighed and lowered himself further into his seat at the Three Broomsticks. He could see all of the couples walking by on their way to Madame Puddifoots. It almost made him feel like the full moon was upon him. Even the Three Broomsticks was decorated in Valentine's Day spirit. He turned to see Meghan's sour face reflecting his own. Grinning, he screwed up his eyes and contorted his face into Eric's.

"This is so weird. Stop that," she ordered but not without a smile.

Teddy relaxed his features back into the turquoise hair and the heart shaped face.

"What is this, his third interview this month?" Teddy asked. He had barely seen Eric that term.

"Fourth," she corrected bitterly. "He got an owl only yesterday calling him back for a follow up interview."

Teddy let out a whistle. "Makes me feel like a slacker."

"Auror interviews aren't until the end of the year though, right? You're fine."

Teddy swirled the butterbeer absent-mindedly.

"Our last year at Hogwarts and here we are with only each other on Valentine's Day. Cheers," Teddy smiled, raising his glass. She tapped her glass to his with a slight frown.

"I'm not that bad company, am I?" Teddy asked. "No worries. It'll all be worth it when Eric finds a job that will let you bathe in galleons."

She changed the subject. "And how is your love life?"

Teddy thought for a moment. "Do you remember in our fourth year when Rhinehart had us write essays on the Crooked Toed Ghehoon?"

"Yeah, and it turns out they didn't exist?"

Teddy nodded. "That's how I would describe my love life."

"Teddy, you're depressing me. What happened with…" she trailed off, letting him fill in the blank.

"Nothing." He downed the rest of his butterbeer in one gulp. Victoire had apologized the day after the full moon and Teddy had accepted her apology with a shrug, but he could not help acting cold to her. It was all unintentional, probably a defense mechanism to prevent her from hurting him again, but the fact was that whenever she approached him he would wish she hadn't. She must have noticed the chill eventually, for Teddy could not even remember the last time he had seen her. He had needed somebody, anybody, with him that night, and as just a family friend she should have been there. But instead she had been with some Hufflepuff boy. Ever since then, Teddy had started taking his Head Boy duties seriously and Hufflepuff had a curiously low number of house points. No correlation, of course.

"Ten o'clock," Meghan said under her breath. Teddy turned slowly.

Victoire walked into the Three Broomsticks, commanding grace and elegance. Teddy could not help but take her in- was he no longer immune to her Veela charms? He missed her, he realized, which made it all the worse when a boy walked in behind her, a hand at her back. He did not miss the boy's Hufflepuff scarf. Teddy gave a short wave.

"Teddy!" Victoire beamed upon seeing him. She walked over to his and Meghan's table. "Hi Meghan," she added, smiling just as charmingly to her. The boy followed her faithfully.

"Do you guys want to sit?" Meghan asked, clearing her bag from the other side of the table. Teddy groaned inwardly, for they would have no choice if they wanted to stay at the Three Broomsticks. Every other table was packed. He was already trying to think of excuses to leave. Why did he wave in the first place?

"Yeah, that'd be great. Where's Eric?" she asked, sitting at the seat next to Teddy while the boy took the seat across from her. He smiled comfortably at them.

"Being a jerk," Meghan smiled.

"Ah," Victoire nodded sagely. "This is Barry- have you all met before?"

Barry extended a hand to Teddy. He had a firm grip.

"Well I've heard plenty about you, Teddy," he smiled with perfect white teeth.

"Yeah, yeah, Harry Potter's godson," Teddy mumbled.

"Oh, not about that. I didn't even know who Harry Potter was before I was eleven. They don't teach that stuff in the muggle world," he smiled. Teddy wished he would stop smiling. "No, Victoire talks about you all the time."

"Oh yeah?" Teddy asked, nudging Victoire slightly. She shoved him away.

"Yeah. She told me about the time you morphed into her dad and-"

"I'm really thirsty, Barry," Victoire interrupted.

Barry gave her a fond grin. "Yes, ma'am." He gave Teddy a knowing glance. "Brilliant, man." He headed to the bar.

"What did you do as her dad?" Meghan asked Teddy.

Victoire shoved him again.

"I'll tell you another time. Next time Eric is away," Teddy compromised.

"So next weekend?" Meghan murmured.

"Why aren't you at Puddifoot's?" Teddy asked Victoire in his best attempt at casually.

"I've had too many awry dates in there," she said, scrunching up her nose. "And I happen to really like this one so I thought a change in location might be good. Don't make me regret this."

Teddy morphed his face into Bill Weasley's effortlessly.

Victoire pulled out her wand and Teddy laughed, morphing back into his preferred face.

"I'll take this one away, Victoire," Meghan decided, standing up and eyeing Teddy until he did the same. "Have a good Valentine's Day." She practically shoved him out of the Three Broomsticks.

"Did I do anything wrong?" Teddy asked when the door closed behind them and the cold air greeted them. The streets were empty. All of the couples were indoors and all of the single students had remained in Hogwarts rather than partake in Hogsmeade's Valentine's Day festivities.

"No, I think you actually acted quite normal," Meghan said and gave him a pat on the head as if he were a dog. It was something she had been doing to him for years. "Too bad about Barry though."

Teddy shrugged.

"I mean, if he was a jerk then we could have hated him together but he actually seems really nice. Hufflepuffs are the worst, aren't we," she smiled, trying to draw Teddy out of his funk.

"Yeah. I'll just have to casually dislike him." He swatted at a beetle that was flying around his ear only to accidentally hit Meghan's hat off.

"Er, sorry about that…" Teddy summoned the hat back and placed it firmly back on her head.

She sighed. "Believe it or not, I've had worse Valentine's Days…"

* * *

><p>A few days later Victoire stormed to Teddy's seat at the Gryffindor table during breakfast. Mike had half a biscuit in his mouth when Victoire pushed him aside and sat herself down next to Teddy.<p>

"Wotcher, Victoire," Teddy yawned.

"Do you get the Daily Prophet?"

"No. I normally steal Mike's copy."

She slammed her own copy down in front of him, spraying his food around the table. Mike glared at her. The paper was flipped to the gossip section.

"Oh no…" Teddy groaned. It was not the first time he had seen himself in the gossip section of the Daily Prophet. Since he was little the paper had an annoying interest in Harry Potter's godson. Most of it subsided when James was born, but there was his picture back in the worst section of the news…

_Love at first Howl?_

_Rita Skeeter_

_Harry Potter's wild child of a godson, Teddy Lupin, was seen spending his Valentine's Day with an ordinary girl. Nothing wrong there, right? But it would not be Master Lupin if he did not have a darker hidden agenda. Under that turquoise hair and eyes like melted chocolate is undoubtedly the brain of a teenager whose only purpose is to lure pure girls out of the safety of Hogwarts Castle. These girls seem to flock to him- maybe it's his lanky goofy frame or the darkness in his eyes, but he even had his date pay for his drink. You would think Harry Potter would have taught this boy better manners! _

_Right from the beginning of the date anyone could see the hunger in Lupin's eyes. Behind the haunted darkness of growing up an orphan is the hunger of a wolf. As he sips his butterbeer he is grazing, always keeping a lookout for his next victim, his Head Boy badge only a cover for the darkness within. And as soon as she walks in he lifts his head and hails her down. Even the girls that come with dates are drawn to the black hole that is Master Lupin. _

_But this time Lupin has his eyes set on the trophy of the gazelles. The beautiful part Veela daughter of Bill Weasley, none other than Harry Potter's niece, walks into the Three Broomsticks and is at once entranced, drawn to him while her date flails behind. Lupin leans back casually, the very sign of the alpha male while the other male retreats to his rightful hierarchical status. There's a saying that girls end up marrying boys like their fathers. Perhaps Lupin's normal dark brooding look was not working on Ms. Weasley, and so he morphed- yes, Lupin is a metamorphmagus, protect your daughters, he could be anywhere, anyone- into the very image of Mr. Bill Weasley. And the way she looked at him- suffice it to say it is not how anyone wants to imagine their daughter looking at a boy._

_But before Ms. Weasley could fall for Lupin's charms, his original date pulled him away and shoved him out of the Three Broomsticks. Not used to being treated with such severity, Lupin unleashed his hand, knocking the poor girl's hat off. But is it a surprise that Lupin and Ms. Weasley are so drawn to each other? Both have wolf blood flowing through them, with Mr. Bill Weasley having been bitten by the very same werewolf that bit Lupin's father (though in human form. Mr. Bill Weasley is not a werewolf.). _

_They are children of the moon. Perhaps it is not right of us to interrogate into their lives. Perhaps it is only fit that we let them run wild and howl. Let's just hope they do not get too many Howlers from Ms. Weasley's parents. _

"This is… the worst thing I've ever read," Teddy said when he finally found his voice.

Mike was slamming the table, laughing uproariously at his own copy of the Daily Prophet. "P-protect your, ah haha, ha, daughters, oh Merlin, Teddy's coming for your daughters I better warn my parents-"

Teddy put a silencing charm on him. He easily removed it but he began to stifle his laughs more.

"What am I going to do?" Victoire cried. "This is my mum's favorite section of the Prophet. Oh Merlin I can hear her already- _Victoire!"_ It was impressive how quickly her voice changed to a shrill one, a perfect impersonation of Fleur as she suddenly started spewing rapid French.

"Hey, you came out relatively unscathed," Teddy argued when her French tirade was over. "She makes me sound downright abusive."

"I need to write them a letter before this gets out of hand. And I need to talk to Barry…" Her face fell. "Teddy…"

Teddy recognized the tone. "What do you want from me?"

"Can you talk to Barry for me? I can deny this all I want but-"

"Oh c'mon, Victoire. Barry won't believe this. It's nonsense."

"He didn't grow up in this world. What if muggle newspapers aren't like this? Teddy…" she pleaded with the same tone of voice.

Teddy sighed. "Yeah, I'll talk to him. Just make sure your father isn't out for my wolf blood."

She grinned. "Good. We'll reconvene at moonrise tonight. I'll howl three times."

* * *

><p>With a spell muttered under his breath, Teddy managed to slash open Barry's bag, sending all of Barry's books onto the floor. It was a trick he had learned from Harry to isolate someone from a crowd.<p>

"I'll catch up," Barry said to his friends as was expected. Teddy stooped down to help Barry pick up his books.

"Hey Ted," Barry grinned. Teddy blinked. Nobody called him Ted and he certainly had not introduced himself that way.

"Hey. D'you read the Prophet?" Teddy asked. He could have used his wand to file all of Barry's books back but he figured he could use the extra time.

"Yeah. One of my friends showed me." He ran a hand through his thick brown hair. "I should tell my parents I'm in the Wizarding newspaper. They'd be so proud."

Teddy leaned against the wall, glad he was right in counting on Barry's relaxed personality. He almost liked him.

"Just to be clear, Victoire and I… we're just family friends." Teddy managed to shrug casually.

He smiled. "I trust you, Ted." He clapped Teddy's back and Teddy flinched. "Must be nice."

"Hm?"

"I mean, no matter what you do you'll always be a family friend. I feel like if I make one bad move, I'm out," he smiled sheepishly. "You'll always be there for her and I'm… in all likelihood just a fleeting shooting star in her life."

"She really likes you," Teddy offered, not sure why he was comforting him.

"And I really like her. But I'd be just as happy in your place." He paused. "I guess I do get to snog her though…" His eyes narrowed for the first time. "You haven't-"

"No," Teddy said quickly. He made a conscious effort to make sure his morph stayed turquoise.

Barry broke into a wide smile. "See you around, Ted."

Teddy walked away, wondering how it was possible to both like and dislike the same person so much.

* * *

><p>"Awoo! Awoo! A-"<p>

"Stop. I'm here," Teddy hissed with half a mind to cover Victoire's mouth. The others in the Gryffindor Common Room had already been giving them strange looks even before she started howling. Throughout that day Teddy could have sworn more people than usual made an effort to look into his eyes, as if looking for the wolf beneath.

"How'd it go?" she asked eagerly.

"Fine. He's a good guy," Teddy admitted.

She beamed. "I'm glad you like him. I got things cleared up with my parents too. They were in the middle of writing you a strongly worded letter before I got to them."

"I could've taken it," Teddy grinned.

"Oh, what a brave man you are Teddy Lupin. You've never seen my mother truly angry though."

"I'll just bare my teeth at her."

"She'll hex you to oblivion."

"I don't know if you've heard, but wolves are immune to hexes."

"You completely made that up."

"Our only weaknesses are absurdly pretty pure girls holed up in the safety of Hogwarts."

"Oh my, I think I'm getting sucked into your black hole… Just can't resist the call of the moon..."

She looked at him, her blonde hair framing her mischievous smile perfectly. She was leaning against his legs as if she belonged there and his body had adjusted to fit hers without either of them realizing it. He could have stayed like that forever. But the moment would pass just as the moon would give way to the sun.

For just that moment at least, Teddy thanked Rita Skeeter.

* * *

><p>AN: Had to get Valentine's Day out of the way and had a bit of fun doing it. Not the most substantial chapter, but hopefully the next chapter will make up for it. Let me know what you think with a nice hearty review! ^_^


	15. Beast

Professor Nover's office was simply too small. Teddy felt cramped in there, each time he closed his eyes, focused on the theory behind transforming, and tried to pinpoint every fiber of being that made him a wizard into becoming a beast. But all of the books in the office seemed to begin leaning in to him every time he struggled, as if they would collapse on him at any minute. Add that to the fact that he knew Nover was looking at him, examining his every twitch in order to see why he simply could not turn into an animal. The room was too small, Teddy kept telling himself. What if his Animagus was a dragon, or a giraffe? It was out of consideration of not wanting to destroy Nover's office that he could not bring himself to turn. Yes, that had to be it.

"Your hair is turning again."

Teddy sighed and opened his eyes. He conjured a mirror and sure enough, his hair had turned a bright orange with black stripes across it. Maybe it was a sign he would be a tiger. Nover was leaning back in his chair, and though he tried to hide it, Teddy could tell he was exasperated.

"I'm trying my best," Teddy muttered. Seeing Nover's exasperation only made him more frustrated.

"I know," Nover said gently. He waved his wand and a narrow bed appeared in the middle of his office. Teddy squirmed at the sudden decrease in free space.

"Lie down," he ordered, nodding to the bed.

"Why?" Teddy asked warily.

"I'm going to give you a therapy session."

"What?"

"Muggles do it all the time." His eyes became bright and gloating. "I got an Outstanding on my Muggle Studies N.E.W.T.s. Only non-muggle born to do so."

Teddy blinked. He had half a mind to just leave Nover's office, but there was nothing to do for the rest of the day anyway. He lay down on the surprisingly comfortable bed. He could only see the bland ceiling of his professor's office.

"Okay. So. How are you?" Nover asked.

"Fine."

"Er, great! What comes next..."

"You tell me, Professor Outstanding in Muggle Studies," Teddy muttered darkly.

"Okay, okay. Tell me, Mr. Lupin. Why do you want to be an Animagus?"

Teddy frowned. "I've told you this before."

"Tell me again."

"Do muggles really find this useful?"

"Results vary."

Teddy sighed. "I want to do something with werewolves. I don't know what, but I feel like that's what I'm meant to do."

"I thought you wanted to be an Auror."

"Can't I do both?"

"You're going to overburden yourself. But that's not my job to tell you. Well this obviously stems from your desire to please both of your parents."

"Does it?"

"Yes," Nover said firmly, as if to convince himself as well. "You want to do something with werewolves because your father was discriminated against for being one. And you want to be an Auror because your mother was one."

Teddy shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

He could practically hear Nover's look of satisfaction. "How will being an Animagus help you deal with werewolves?"

"Animagi aren't affected if they're bitten while in their animal form."

"How do you know that?"

"Harry told me. My father's friends all became Animagi for him. When they were with him during the full moons he felt more human."

"Those are some incredible friends."

"Yeah." _And all dead_. "They were able to become Animagi by their fifth year. _Fifth year_," Teddy repeated in sudden frustration.

"I'd say that's more of an exception than a rule, Teddy," Nover said gently. "Most people are far older than you are before they try to become Animagi."

"Yeah," Teddy said. But he did not agree. His father's friends, Eric... There were too many examples of brilliant students that had become Animagi early in their lives. They just happened to all be unregistered. Though one of the few times he had seen Eric that term, he told him that he would go register with the Ministry as soon as possible. It was just like Eric, not to want to have something like that on his record for someone to dig up once he rose higher in the Ministry. Teddy would not register. It was a pride thing, a sort of homage to his father's friends. But that would not matter if he never became an Animagus in the first place.

"I still think you're afraid."

"Impossible. I'm a Gryffindor," Teddy said, only half jokingly.

"Swallow that Gryffindor bravado for a bit. What would you do if your Animagus form turned out to be a fish?"

"I... don't think I'd be able to breathe."

"Let's say I carried you around in a fish tank all the time."

"I would hate it."

"Why?"

"Because then I'd have to listen to all of your lectures."

"Lupin," he said sternly.

"Fine. How am I supposed to work with wolves if I'm a floundering fish?"

"See!" Nover said triumphantly. "There's your fear. You're worried about what your Animagus form will be. What if it's something useless, what if it can't get near wolves, what if..." He leaned in closer. "Your parents wouldn't like it?"

Teddy jerked up and before he realized what he was doing he had his wand pointed at his Professor. Nover whipped out his own wand just as quickly and eyed Teddy challengingly. Teddy closed his eyes and slowly sat back down. There was no point in hexing Nover, he told himself. Nover did not know his boggart, he did not know that his worst fear was disappointing his parents.

"It seems I've struck a nerve," Nover said softly.

Teddy clenched his jaw. "I want to be a wolf," he said through gritted teeth. "Nothing else. If I'm a wolf then I can morph into a werewolf. It's just a matter of the shorter snout and tufted tail. I can get into their packs, I can do something about their predicament by understanding them. And only I can do this because my mum passed down this morphing gene and my dad gave me this will to do this. If not me, then..."

Nover summoned something from his cabinet to his desk and handed it to Teddy. Teddy recognized the familiar smell of a Calming Draught. He sipped at it slowly.

"Let me see your Patronus," his professor said.

After a few more sips, Teddy took out his wand. He meant to think of the moment he received the results of his O.W.L.s back and seen the look of pride on his grandmother's face. But somehow his O.W.L results morphed into a bar of chocolate, and his grandmother into Victoire, and he was remembering the previous night, when he and Victoire had stayed up until midnight, just taking in each other's company and munching on chocolate. The silvery wolf slipped out of his wand and took a majestic lap around Nover's office before settling down in front of Teddy.

"Beautiful," Nover muttered, extending a hand to the Patronus. The wolf leaned into Nover's hand only to pass right through it. After licking its snout a few more times, it vanished.

"It's a very good Patronus," Nover nodded approvingly.

"Learned from the best," Teddy muttered.

"Go look in my cabinet over there," he said, nodding at the cabinet he had summoned the Calming Draught from. "Could you grab me something from there?"

"Can't you just summon it?" Teddy complained.

"You young lads need to keep your blood flowing. Go."

Teddy walked over to the cabinet and stooped down, looking at its contents. It was almost entirely all potions.

"Grab me the small vial of veritaserum."

Teddy gave him a skeptical look but obeyed. He walked back and placed it on Nover's desk. Nover downed it immediately.

"What, are you addicted to this stuff?" Teddy asked as the professor's eyes glazed over.

"Teddy Lupin." His cloudy eyes looked right into Teddy's. For a moment it seemed like he was about to deliver a prophecy. "As a Transfiguration Professor who knows an awful lot about both Animagi and Patronuses, I am telling you right now that your Animagus form will be a wolf."

Teddy's first instinct was to tell Nover he was lying, that he was only saying this to get Teddy to finally be able to transform and get him out of his office. But the empty vial of veritaserum stared mockingly back.

"Running low on this stuff..." Nover muttered when his eyes cleared up again and he Banished the empty vial. "Well now that we've cleared up all doubt about what you will become, would you like to try again?"

For the first time in a while, Teddy felt a shiver of excitement. In just moments, he could be the wolf, he could even cast his Patronus first and they could run around Hogwarts together, he could go find Eric and they could cause all sorts of mischief just like his father's friends used to...

"Yeah." Teddy cleared away the bed and sat upright in his chair. He closed his eyes, focused on the theory, and blocked everything else out. Almost immediately he could feel his body changing, beginning with a tremor in his neck. His arms were retracting further into his body, his jaw began jutting out, his heart was beating faster, his hands shrunk into themselves, his wand dropped, his clothes were becoming loose around him, it was happening, he was finally going to be a wolf, finally going to understand his father just a bit better...

And then what? What would he do afterwards? Stir up some mischief with Eric, but what came after that? He had told Nover the truth but how would he even go about finding werewolf packs, what would he even learn from studying them that people in the Department of Magical Creatures did not already know? Perhaps he could sympathize with them. He still had the notes on the Homorphus Charm, but what if it wasn't enough, what if he was just going to-

A pain unlike any he had ever felt before shattered across his back. When he was ten years old he had found something in his grandmother's closet, some ancient Black heirloom that had been tossed into a dark corner. It was impossible to open, but his uncontrolled magic opened it. Things like that could happen. He knew Harry had ended up on rooftops of schools before he went to Hogwarts. The heirloom opened and a darkness engulfed Teddy, wrapping around all of his limbs and he had screamed and screamed until his grandmother came and apparated him away. He had spent the next week in St. Mungo's with his grandmother crying beside him. She threw out all of her old Black heirlooms after that. The pain Teddy was experiencing in Nover's office though, was even worse than whatever dark magic had been inside that heirloom.

He could hear Nover yelling his name but he could not see anything, his vision had gone black, he felt his body contort unnaturally, his hands jerked in every direction, his legs blazed in hot pain, somebody was screaming, he felt like his jaw would unhinge at any moment, his throat burned and Teddy realized he was the one screaming. Unable to deal with the pain any longer, his mind shut down and he remembered nothing more.

* * *

><p>He woke up just as he had when he was ten years old, in St. Mungo's with a Healer next to him. He opened his mouth to speak only to find his jaw incredibly sore, but still attached to the rest of his face.<p>

The Healer looked at him and smiled. "Mrs. Tonks? Your grandson is awake."

Almost instantly Teddy saw his grandmother's face above his, her brown eyes filled with worry. Teddy thought that if anybody had seen her like that, there was no chance she would have been mistaken for Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Wotcher..." Teddy barely managed, his voice rough against his throat.

Her eyes filled with tears. "Teddy, oh Teddy..." As she pulled him into her body he took the chance to feel for his limbs. It seemed like they were all still intact. He could even feel his toes.

"How did I get here?" Teddy croaked.

Suddenly all of the worry in his grandmother's face vanished to be replaced by a hot fury Teddy was all too familiar with. "You tell me!"

Teddy winced. "I... I was doing some Transfiguration..."

"I know what you were doing. You think I haven't seen the books in your room? I know you have no interest in Quidditch magazines," she said harshly.

"Oh... Er, yeah. I guess it didn't go well."

Her features softened again. "You're lucky your Transfiguration professor knew what he was doing."

"A moment later and you would've been half beast!" the Healer piped in. Both Teddy and his grandmother jumped, having forgotten the Healer was still in the room. She smiled apologetically.

"Where is he now?" Teddy asked.

"He and Harry left as soon as the Healers said you would be okay. I think Harry had some harsh words for him..."

Teddy groaned.

"And now you listen to me." His grandmother's features rearranged themselves spectacularly so that the only person Teddy truly feared appeared before him in all of her majestic severity. "You will _never_ attempt this again. You have such a full life ahead of you. Don't go looking for reasons to cut it short."

Teddy remained silent. He knew his grandmother was thinking of his parents, how they had both charge heedlessly into the final battle, leaving him behind, only a month old...

"Do you understand, Teddy?" she asked sharply.

"...I can't promise that."

"Teddy." To his alarm, there were tears in his grandmother's eyes. He could handle her anger, endure her tirades, but he had no defense against her tears. Her voice shook. "You're all I have left."

He could feel his own tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"Okay," he said finally. "I promise."

* * *

><p>He barely paid attention as Victoire, Dominique, and even James berated his carelessness. How could he go to St. Mungo's without telling them? Teddy laughed at that. They talked about St. Mungo's like it was an amusement park. But their hurt was real, only serving to fuel Teddy's promise to his grandmother.<p>

When he told Eric, the Slytherin frowned. "Merlin, I'm so sorry Teddy... I got really lucky I didn't get hurt. But you are going to try again, aren't you?"

Teddy shook his head slowly. "Not if I want to be disowned. Or dismembered," Teddy added as an afterthought. Eric frowned again. Teddy looked away because he knew Eric's sympathy was real.

He walked into Nover's office to collect the Transfiguration homework he had missed from his stint out at St. Mungo's. Nover smiled sadly when he entered his office. Teddy decided to speak first.

"Thanks for... saving me."

He nodded gravely. "You were so close."

It was the last thing Teddy wanted to hear. "Well. My grandmother won't let me try anymore. So... I guess I won't be seeing you every Wednesday anymore."

He nodded understandingly. "Well that works out well. I'm not allowed to advise any students in Animagi anymore apparently."

"What? That's not fair-"

He smiled. "When Harry Potter wants something done, it gets done. If you ask me, this will just encourage more transfiguration mishaps, but we can't argue with the Boy Who Lived."

"I'll write to him. It's not fair for him to do that to you just because I couldn't do it-"

"Lupin." He suddenly looked much older. "You are the most brilliant Transfiguration student at Hogwarts right now. If my instruction led you to..." He bit his lip. "...to that much pain, then it is my fault and I should not be teaching."

"That's not true!" Teddy nearly yelled. "You're the best Professor Hogwarts-"

Nover cut him off with a laugh. "No need for melodramatic lies, Lupin. The best Professor Hogwarts has seen?" He laughed once more, looking young again. "I'm not your father."

Teddy gaped. "You... knew my father too?"

"Close the door on your way out, Lupin. I'll see you in class."


	16. Freaks

A/N: In honor of the 7th anniversary of the 7th Harry Potter book coming out, I've gone the sentimental route for this chapter and am pretty happy with how it turned out. Let me know what you think! Seven years ago today the world found out about the deaths of Lupin and Tonks, but also the birth of Teddy Lupin. The magic lives on!

* * *

><p>"Did you hear? Victoire and that good boy Hufflepuff broke up."<p>

Teddy had gotten a chocolate frog card of his godfather from Harry and Ginny ("_About time they put my husband on a chocolate frog card! Here's a first edition one for you, Teddy!"_), a signed copy of _A Brave Heart's Guide to Transfiguration_ from Ron and Hermione ("_Er, sorry mate, Hermione's idea- I'll send you a box of the latest in Wizard Wheezes next week"_), the annual galleon from his grandmother ("_The wise man makes a galleon last a year"_), and a framed copy of Rita Skeeter's Daily Prophet article from Eric ("_To my favorite dark eyed beast of the night…"), _but this news from Mike was the best present he got on his birthday.

"Oh," Teddy said casually, trying to keep his attention on Professor Rhineheart. "How do you know?"

Mike nodded along, smiling when Rhineheart glanced over at him. As soon as the professor turned back to the board, he leaned back to Teddy and continued. "Lauren Mital said so during practice this morning. She's friends with him."

Teddy nodded slowly, jotting down what Professor Rhineheart was saying about nonverbal defense against Wide Eared Phanooks ("_only nonverbal spells will work- a single tremor of your vocal chords and they will rip them out"_).

"Are you going to ask her out then?" Teddy asked, running a hand through his hair. He gave his best smile when Rhineheart glanced suspiciously at him.

"Merlin, no," Mike practically hissed. "I couldn't do that to you."

"What?"

"I mean, it took me a while to realize, but you're completely smitten with her. No chance I'm getting in between that. Wouldn't want the next Daily Prophet article detailing my gruesome death by wolf mauling."

Teddy groaned but Mike laughed just a bit too loudly.

"Mr. Cordero, how many eardrums does an African Wide Eared Phanook have?" Professor Rhineheart asked, raising her voice and glaring at Mike.

"Total, or in each ear?" Mike returned.

"Total."

"Seven," Mike answered smugly. "Three in the left, four in the right, hence why it walks so strangely since its balance is all off."

She smiled. "I suppose if there is one thing I've managed to teach you it is how to repeat what I say while retaining your own conversation. Now the Brazilian Wide Eared Phanook on the other hand…."

Mike winked at Teddy and Teddy could not help but be slightly impressed.

* * *

><p>Teddy was surprised to find her alone in the library at his favorite desk.<p>

"How are you, _mademoiselle?_" Teddy asked, slipping into the seat across from her. She looked up, startled, even though he had not been quiet about his entrance into the library.

She recomposed herself quickly. "Ah, are you studying the beautiful language of _français_?" she asked with a slight smile, as if gloating over her perfect pronunciation.

"_Je ne sais…_ ah, what is it? Paw?"

The corner of her mouth twitched. "Close enough."

Teddy smiled with satisfaction and took out the book Hermione had given him to peruse through. It was honestly the gift he was most excited about.

"But you never answered my question. How are you?" he asked, peering over the image of a man turning a couch into a lion.

She seemed startled out of her work yet again. "Oh. I'm…"

Teddy raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. "There's no point in lying to you is there? I'm miserable, Teddy."

He closed his book. "Why?"

She tapped her long fingers against the wooden table. Her clear blue eyes found his. "We've never talked like this before."

Teddy shrugged. "Another year, another experience."

"Another year?" Her face fell. "Oh Merlin." She looked at his new book, rapidly putting the pieces together. "It's your birthday, isn't it."

"Just a bit," Teddy smiled.

"Damn," she murmured, looking away. Her hand went to her head, running through the smooth blonde hair. "Your gift was supposed to come today but I didn't go to the Great Hall for breakfast…"

"Don't worry about it."

"No, no, I feel terrible, I'll go to the Owlery right now-"

"Stay," Teddy said, putting a hand over hers.

She withdrew immediately. "No, no, I'll meet you in the Gryffindor Common Room later tonight, okay?" She hurriedly packed up her books and left him alone in the library. He returned his own book to his bag and decided to pay Neville a visit to check on his plant.

* * *

><p>She was almost a new person when he saw her in the common room that night. Her eyes were bright, no longer distracted, and when she leaned over the back of his chair so that her mouth was right beside his ear, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, he could practically hear her smile.<p>

Which made it all the more jarring when she howled into his ear, loud enough for the whole common room to look over in alarm. Teddy nearly fell out of his seat while she laughed.

"I don't think that will ever get old," she grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm pretty sure my lifespan gets shorter every time…" Teddy muttered. She hopped into the chair next to his.

"So. Eighteen," she said. "So old and wise now. Remember when we used to have joint birthday parties?"

"I think that only happened once."

"Yeah. That was just a casual reminder that my birthday is coming up soon too," she winked. "But anyway, now that you're getting old, you're going to start losing your memories soon."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Luckily you have my young and supple mind to keep you on track." She took out a poorly wrapped package from her bag and tossed it into Teddy's lap. It was deceptively heavy.

"Open it!" she exclaimed when Teddy only held it, trying to determine what it was just from the feel of it.

He tore the wrapper open and blinked. It was almost like a goblet that fit perfectly in his hand, though too heavy to really be useful as something to drink from. A silvery liquid swirled in it, but when Teddy passed his hand through it, it only felt cool and more like air than liquid. It took a a bit more probing for Teddy to finally figure out what it was.

"A portable pensieve?" He had read about them in an issue of the Daily Prophet a few months back. "Victoire, these are ridiculously expensive-"

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't pay for it. Did you really think the only thing your godfather would give you for your birthday is a chocolate frog card of himself?"

Teddy had no words for her.

"No, I only collected the memories. Just a lot of letter writing- your grandmother has incredibly neat handwriting." She took out a second package from her bag. "I got called to McGonagall's office once because somebody reported my owl was bringing in an unusual amount of suspicious looking vials." She tore open the box and Teddy saw it was filled with vials, all swirling with memories. "Oh, and before she corrects you, Dominique helped me organize all of these so consider this a joint gift from the Delacour-Weasley family."

Teddy picked up a vial and saw it was labeled with Ginny's name. Another had Ron's, and another had his grandmother's, all of them, memories from his family…

"I didn't look at them. I just asked that they send me their favorite memory of you for your birthday. There are eighteen, one for each lap you've completed around the sun. I made one, too…" Her fingers lingered over the vial at the end of the box.

"Victoire, this is incredible," Teddy managed. "I can't believe you'd do this for me…"

She shrugged. "Like I said, it was just a lot of letter writing. Harry did all of the monetary work."

He swallowed.

"Still…"

"Oh c'mon, you haven't even looked at the memories yet and you're getting all teary eyed! Here, let's watch my memory, it'll cheer you up. I want to try this…"

She poured the vial with her own name into the small pensieve. It glowed brightly, beckoning them to it. He felt her hand against the back of his head and suddenly his face was shoved into the goblet which expanded to fit him…

They were in the backyard of the Burrow. Teddy saw himself, barely recognizable with green hair and an incredibly pointed nose. He had forgotten he had gone through a phase where he wanted to be a grasshopper. Victoire was standing next to the current day him, glancing fondly around her own memory. Then little Victoire came, or as Teddy thought of her back then, the spawn of the devil.

Little Victoire tapped little Teddy's shoulder and then ran to the opposite side, giggling as little Teddy turned around, completely falling for her trick. She used to have a cackle of a laugh but even at that young age it was clear she would be beautiful.

"Are you ready to leave for Hogwarts tomorrow?" she asked, bouncing around little Teddy.

"No," little Teddy moped.

"Why not?" she plopped herself down next to him. They looked so small against the tree behind the Burrow.

Little Teddy shrugged. Teddy wondered if he still shrugged that awkwardly, right shoulder first then left shoulder, as if in a wave motion.

"Just nervous, I guess." Teddy remembered that anticipation. Every first year was nervous about going to Hogwarts for the first time, but Teddy especially so. He had no idea which house he would be sorted into- his grandmother was a Slytherin, his godfather and father Gryffindors, his mother and grandfather Hufflepuffs, yet Hermione was convinced he would be a Ravenclaw. Something else was bothering him too- everybody talked about how magical Hogwarts was, but Teddy only knew it as the place where his parents had died.

"You're such a cry baby," little Victoire teased and little Teddy looked away.

"I'll be there in a year," little Victoire said in what she must have thought was a reassuring way but came off more as excited. She had the proper enthusiasm for a child about to go to Hogwarts.

"What will I do without you for a year?" Teddy had to admire little Teddy's subtle sarcasm.

"You'll write to me. Every day."

"_Oui, mademoiselle._"

"You'll send me gifts from Hogsmeade."

"You can't go to Hogsmeade until third year."

"Fine. You'll write to me, tell me about all the classes, all of the professors, but you're not going to make any new friends."

"No?"

"No."

The real Victoire laughed.

"Why not?" little Teddy asked.

Little Victoire leaned over and kissed little Teddy's cheek.

"Because you'll always be mine."

The scene blurred, Teddy felt his body being drawn back, and soon they were both back in the Gryffindor Common Room. He had completely forgotten that memory- how could he forget something like that?

"Dominique told me about how you feel during the full moons," Victoire said quietly, readjusting her position in her chair. "I thought if you had something to remind you that you're never alone it might help you get through those nights if we can't be there for you." She nodded at the eighteen vials.

He looked at her. The sun had set by then and the common room was filling up with people returning from dinner, from Quidditch practice, but he could only see her. It would be so easy, to lean forward, tuck her hair behind her ear and close the distance between them. His hand was already moving, in moments it could be in her hair, in moments he could never feel lonely again. But he turned away.

"I heard about you and Barry." Barry was the last person he wanted to think about but the words came out of his mouth anyway.

Victoire's eyes darkened. "Yeah... Just yesterday."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Teddy lied.

He wanted to hear a _I'm fine_ or a _It was never going to last anyway_ but instead he only got a "Yeah."

They sat in silence for a bit.

"I really liked him, too,'' she said thoughtfully. ``He was the one who broke up with me. It sounds childish but... that's never happened to me before."

"He must be insane," Teddy said.

She smiled slightly. "But he's not. He said I was too proud, could get arrogant at times and that he just couldn't keep up anymore. And you know what? It's true, he's just the only one who has ever been brave enough to tell me."

"Or the only one who it bothered," Teddy offered.

"My excessive pride doesn't bother you?" she asked, half teasingly.

"I think it makes you who you are. And who you are doesn't bother me at all."

She grinned and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's watch some more of these." She uncorked Hermione's vial and they dove in again.

They watched Teddy read with Hermione until Ron came in and called them a bunch of nerds. From George's perspective they watched Teddy unleash the latest product which left Percy's glasses crawling all over the floor, always diving out of the way just before Percy could wrap his hands around them. From Harry's perspective they watched the first time Teddy jumped onto a broom and immediately fell off, only to have James run from behind and soar off on the broom meant for Teddy. They both came out of the pensieve laughing at that one until Teddy's cheeks hurt.

"One more, one more," Teddy said between breaths. It was late and the common room had cleared out by then. Only one vial remained unexplored. He had not meant to save it for last, it was just the only one not part of Victoire's family. He poured his grandmother's memory into the pensieve. Still collecting themselves between fits of laughing, they put their heads in one last time.

The sight of his mother's face sucked away all desire to laugh. Victoire fell silent behind him.

Her hair was a mousy brown which was strange because Teddy had only ever seen it in pictures as a vibrant pink. But the heart shaped face and the almond eyes, yes, that was his mother, without a doubt and his grandmother was sitting beside her in bed, looking young and even beautiful. His mother looked up and seemed to smile at him. He looked into his mother's eyes. He could not look away.

"Teddy..." Victoire said, the only time he did not want to hear her voice. He tore his gaze away from his mother and turned around to where Victoire was looking, to where his grandmother and his mother were looking in this memory, and with another shock, saw his father, holding something small, holding something squirming, holding... him.

His father moved right through him and sat down on the bed opposite of Teddy's grandmother, holding the baby carefully and moving him into his mother's arms. His father had always looked old in the pictures, even in the pictures from when he was at Hogwarts, but right then as he looked at the infant, his smile seemed to smooth away all of the tired lines in his face and he looked younger than Teddy had ever seen him.

"Wotcher, Teddy," his mother whispered.

Teddy felt the sting in his eyes. It was the only time he had ever heard his mother talk to him.

Then all three of them on the bed jumped a bit.

"I don't believe it," his father said.

"Another one," his grandmother exclaimed incredulously.

Teddy walked over slowly, Victoire just behind him, and she heard her slight exhale of a laugh when they saw that the infant's hair had turned turquoise.

His father sprang up, eyes wild. "I have to tell... everyone! Bill- I'll go to Bill first." Victoire jumped at the mention of her father's name. He was already putting on his shabby coat. He leaned over Teddy's mother and kissed her lightly.

"Thank you. Thank you. I love you," his father said, barely audible. He then kissed infant Teddy and apparated away.

His mother held infant Teddy, rocking him in her arms while his grandmother smiled, looking on.

"I wish dad were here for this," his mother said quietly.

"Me too," his grandmother said, placing a hand over the infant's head and stroking its turquoise hair.

"Oh, mum, I love him already, I didn't know this could happen..." There were tears in his mother's eyes as she cradled the baby. She screwed up her eyes magnificently and her hair turned turquoise as well. Then the baby's changed to orange, and she followed suit, then black and she was always one step behind but right there with him. His grandmother laughed. Teddy had never heard her laugh like that before. All of the laughs he heard were always tinted with worry. But that laugh was genuine and carefree.

"Now you know how I felt when I first held you," his grandmother said, now stroking her daughter's wild hair. "Who knew the metamorphmagus gene was hereditary? The Black family would be appalled if they knew-"

His mother laughed. The only time he ever heard his mother laugh. "If they knew that they had this freak gene in their DNA?" She twisted her arms so that infant Teddy sat on her chest, looking at her. She held his hand. "But we'll be little freaks together, Teddy," she said softly, smiling widely at him. "Freaks together until the end. This I promise you, my love..."

The scene faded and Teddy sat numbly in the common room.

"Teddy..." Victoire said softly, hesitantly.

He could not blink. If he blinked then the tears would escape from his eyes.

"Oh, Teddy, I didn't know that was her memory. I shouldn't have intruded."

Teddy shook his head furiously, but he couldn't shake too fast or else the tears would propel out of his eyes...

"Teddy, I know I call you a cry baby all the time, but you can cry, please cry, otherwise I'll feel like a fool crying alone..."

So Teddy blinked and shook his head as the tears flooded out and he buried himself in Victoire who held his shaking body until the pain dulled. Yet he could not help but think it was the best birthday he ever had.


	17. Finally

There are certain things that outrank even studying for N.E.W.T.s. The days for their examination were drawing close. Every seventh year and fifth year could be found in the library, students of every other year careful not to disturb them. Teddy and the other seventh years looked jealously to the fifth years, becoming annoyed each time one of them complained about their measly O.W.L.s.

"Just two more weeks and this will all be over..." Mike muttered into the book that was resting on his face as he leaned back in his chair. It was their fifth consecutive hour in the library and it was not even noon yet.

"And then to the real world," Teddy reminded him, scrawling away at his Potions essay he had nearly forgotten about. Slughorn had not lightened their workload despite the approaching exams.

"Just let me be a Quidditch player forever," Mike moaned.

"You ever thought about going professional?"

"Nah. Too risky. I'll find a good proper job at the Ministry and that'll be good enough for my parents."

"Good thinking. Well, I'm off now." Teddy began to throw his books into his bag. He could not say the Potions essay was his best one, but it would have to do.

"Where are you off to? We haven't put in the requisite fifteen hours of straight studying yet," Mike said with more than a hint of jealousy.

"It's the second of May. Seven years and you haven't figured out where I always go on this date?"

"You're going on a date?"

Teddy sighed. All of the caveats to Gamp's Law had not been kind to Mike's tired brain.

"I'll see you later."

"I'll be here."

Teddy took the stairs two at a time, waited for a staircase to shift in front of him, narrowly dodged a Fanged Frisbee before confiscating it, and finally arrived at the Headmistress's office. On that day, it was not protected by a password and jumped aside the moment Teddy stood in front of it.

McGonagall was not in. No doubt she was already there. Instead, Filch sat at her desk, rubbing his old knees. He grunted and nodded to the fireplace when he saw Teddy. Teddy had been doing this for seven years and so Filch did not even say a word to him as he stepped into the fireplace.

"Battle of Hogwarts Memorial," Teddy said clearly. The green flames engulfed him.

* * *

><p>Harry Potter was the first person he saw when he stumbled out the other end of the fireplace. James was already there, relating in blazing speeds his last Quidditch match to his mother and little brother.<p>

"Took you long enough," Harry said but even so he smiled.

"Sorry. Studying for the N.E.W.T.s. But you wouldn't know about that, would you?" Teddy teased, clapping his godfather's back.

"Oh it's such a thrilling experience, Teddy," Hermione said from behind them, her hair as bushy as ever. Teddy grinned widely at her. He and Hermione had always gotten along spectacularly, much to Ron's annoyance at having to listen to their academic talk all day. "I remember when I was taking the Charms N.E.W.T. I don't think my mind has ever been that sharp or focused ever again. It's like all the world was drowned out, and it was just me and Charms..."

"Sounds romantic," Ron grumbled. Rose was clinging to the hem of his robes. Teddy really was growing up too fast if little Rose and Albus were starting at Hogwarts the next year. With a pang, Teddy realized he would not be there to see them sorted.

"I'm looking forward to it," Teddy smiled. Together, they all walked out of the building and into the memorial. Teddy was used to seeing the looks of awe and sudden halts whenever he traveled with his godfather and his godfather's friends. It was always a bit different on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts though. There were never as many people running up to them, asking Harry for an autograph or a picture due to the serious occasion, but there were more hushed whispers as they remembered that on this day eighteen years ago, the man walking by them had defeated the greatest Dark Lord in wizarding history.

Once in the memorial, they split up. It was a beautiful acre of land, polished up even more by the caretakers in preparation for the anniversary. There were no speeches or fanfare, just a silent tribute as wizards and witches from all over gathered to mourn their lost ones. Teddy found his grandmother in front of his grandfather's grave. He did not have the heart to ask her how long she had been there.

"Teddy," she smiled, wiping her face. She grasped him into a tight hug. Her hugs were always tighter on these days.

"How has everything been?" Teddy asked when she pulled away and looked back to his grandfather's grave. There were some extravagant tombstones in the memorial but his grandmother had always said his grandfather would have appreciated a simple one much more.

"Good. Great. I've been cleaning a lot."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I go to this muggle family's house twice a week and clean for them-"

"What? Why? Is it money? I-"

She sighed. "No, it just gives me something to do. And you know I've always had a knack for cleaning spells." Teddy's room would have been unrecognizable if it were not for his grandmother's cleaning abilities.

"It's fun," she continued as they walked away from his grandfather's grave. "They pay me by the hour but I get it done in five minutes and just observe them for the rest of the time. The muggle money is so _interesting_, Teddy, I have a whole stash now but nothing to do with it. Maybe I'll give some to Arthur as a gift..."

Teddy could not help but smile. "Well... If that's what makes you happy..."

A mischievous glint Teddy rarely saw caught in his grandmother's eye.

"To tell you the truth, I do it mainly because I can imagine no better way to send my mother rolling in her grave than if she knew her daughter was cleaning for muggles."

He had to laugh at that. A couple standing in front of an austere looking grave glared at him. He decided to morph away the turquoise and use a much more respectable nondescript brown.

"Are you studying hard?" she asked as they continued to walk slowly, her hand around his elbow.

"Of course."

"I expect nothing less than all Outstandings."

Teddy winced. "Right..."

She let out a small laugh.

When they got to his parents' grave, as always, he let her go first. He leaned against the wall of one of the caretaker's buildings and observed the other mourners. They were of all ages, parents, children, husbands, wives- the battle had not discriminated in which lives it would take. A few yards away a man had to be dragged away and subdued by the caretakers after he began yelling and crying at the skies, daring any Death Eaters to come out so that he could take them down and avenge his daughter. Teddy instinctively pulled out his wand and made sure his grandmother was in sight. He did not need somebody mistaking her for her sister again, especially not on this day.

"Crazy, huh? What war can do to people."

Teddy turned around and saw Victoire leaning against the other corner of the wall. She smiled fondly at him.

"It's awful," Teddy agreed. She moved next to him on the wall. "Your parents are here, too?"

"Yeah. I swear Uncle Fred's grave is the easiest one to find here. Always surrounded by red heads," she smiled sadly. "Uncle George put out a box of his latest creations there. He put a spell around them so that only kids ten and younger can take from it. He said it's what Fred would've wanted- to instill mischief in the next generation even before they got to Hogwarts."

Teddy laughed softly. "I'll have to pay a visit later."

"Don't try taking from the box. If you see anyone with upside down noses you'll know why," she warned.

His grandmother stood up from the graves and approached them.

"Good afternoon, Victoire," his grandmother said warmly. She was fond of all of the Weasley and Potter children, but Victoire a bit more so just because she was closest to Teddy's age and had been over the most often. Now that Teddy thought about it, they both also shared a fondness for cleaning.

"Hi Mrs. Tonks," Victoire beamed back. "I hope all is well?"

"Wonderful. Are you doing anything special today?"

"Just dinner with my parents and siblings. We don't normally do anything grand because of... well, all of this," she said, gesturing to the field of tombstones.

His grandmother looked at Teddy sternly.

"Did you forget it was Victoire's birthday?"

"Absolutely not," Teddy said defensively. "I was going to make a swooping transition to it but you beat me to it"

She smiled but he could tell she did not believe him. Instead, she said, "I'll go say hi to your parents, Victoire. Keep this one in line."

"Sometimes I think that's what I was born to do," Victoire said cheekily. His grandmother squeezed his arm one last time before walking away.

"Er, happy birthday, Victoire," Teddy mumbled.

"Is that your swooping transition?" she teased.

"No. Honestly, I remembered."

"Mmhmm."

"Must be hard to have your birthday share the same date as the Battle of Hogwarts."

"It's strange. But it's all I've ever known. Do you..." She gestured at his parents' grave.

"Come with me."

"No, I'd feel awkward and intrusive..."

"Come with me. You know them as well as I do." Teddy grabbed her hand and pulled her unceremoniously in front of the graves. These too were simple, also his grandmother's choice. She had believed their lives had been too hectic and complicated and so they deserved to rest in simplicity.

"Mum, dad, this is Victoire, Bill and Fleur's daughter," Teddy began.

"This is weird, Teddy..."

"Don't worry about her, she's just shy. Don't know how she got into Gryffindor."

She scowled but it was the right thing to say, for soon enough she stood up straight, tossed her hair back, put on her best smile, and said, "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Lupin. Your son is a real rascal."

"It's Victoire's birthday today, so I'll let her get away with her lie." He conjured the flower he always conjured for his parents' grave and fastened it onto the stone. "A little flower from me to you."

"You're pretty good at conjuring these flowers," Victoire remarked.

"I'm even better at growing them." From inside his robe, he took out the small pot he had cast protection charm after protection charm on. Inside the pot was a single brown flower. He pushed it into Victoire's hands.

"Happy birthday."

She examined the pot carefully, looking from the flower in her hands to the one in front of his parents' grave. It was the same one, just a different color.

"Was this your swooping transition?"

"Yup. Maybe it was a bit better in my head..."

She brushed her finger against the petal of the flower. "You grew this?"

"Yeah. Spent hours in the greenhouse with Professor Longbottom on it. He's a really neat guy, really into his Firewhisky..."

"I... thanks, Teddy." Compared to the gift she had given him, at first glance the flower did seem a bit lame. He screwed up his eyes, returning his hair to turquoise. She nearly dropped the pot when she saw the flower had also turned a vibrant turquoise.

She raised her head, a smile slowly forming across her face. "Don't tell me you gave me a way to track your hair color?"

He screwed up his eyes again and his hair turned a duller blue to match the flower on his parents' grave.

"Yeah. So you can send me a warning if it's going to clash with my outfit for the day."

She laughed. "Is this the same flower you conjured for me for Christmas?"

Teddy put a hand behind his head sheepishly. "Yeah. That was... I should've given you a gift I actually put thought into. So I thought this time around I would actually grow something."

"It's great," she smiled. "I didn't know it was the same one you conjured for your parents, too..."

He shrugged. "I save it for the people I really care about."

Her smile fell. "Oh, Teddy, I feel like a fool..."

"Well we can't have you feeling like a fool on your birthday."

"I was so caught up in myself over Christmas that I just threw your flower away..."

"And now you have a new, better one. No harm done."

"Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, your son is a true gentleman."

"Victoire." His voice was for the first time since their conversation started serious. She seemed to sense the urgency in his voice and stood still while Teddy remained facing his parents' grave, not quite brave enough to face her. He wished he had a switch to turn on his Gryffindor bravado.

"Teddy?" she said hesitantly when he still did not speak. His mind was racing, his heart beat was quickening, he was going to back out again, right here, in front of his parents...

"Victoire," he said again because the feeling of her name against his lips seemed to give him courage. "Victoire."

"You're scaring me, Teddy..."

"Ah, okay, okay, alright." He took a breath. "My parents died on this day eighteen years ago. They left me at home, and ran right into the battle."

"Teddy..."

He suddenly wondered if saying his name comforted her too.

"It was foolishly brave of them. But they died so that I could live in a better world..."

She took his hand. It was something they had done all of the time as kids yet this time it sent chills up Teddy's back. He swallowed.

"So... I figured the only way to really honor them, really respect the sacrifice they made for me, is to do something just as brave. Okay, it's not even brave, but it's something I've been cowering from for a while now..."

"Teddy..." There it was, his name again. He wondered if his parents had said his name before they died. No, the killing curse is instant, they probably did not even have time to think of him before the spell hit...

He had to focus. How was memorizing Transfiguration algorithms ten times easier than this? He gripped her hand.

"It would be an insult to their memory if I backed down now," he said, more to himself than to her. "And... ah, er, Merlin, I really like you, Victoire."

He stole a glance at her but could tell nothing from her expression. He was surprised at how easily his words came out after the initial barrier. It was the easiest thing in the world to continue.

"In just a few weeks I'll be out of Hogwarts and that's a strange thought. I'll have to fend for myself but that doesn't scare me that much. What really scares me about this whole real world thing is that I won't be able to see you every day, whether it's in the hallways, in the Great Hall, or in the common room... I think I could bear it if I knew... if I knew that you were thinking of me too. Does... does that make sense?" He could have said more but her silence was unnerving him.

"Yes," she breathed.

His heart sank when she did not say anything more than that. Her hands were limp, just barely positioned enough to keep her grip on the flower. He could still tell nothing from her expression as if she had donned a perfect mask that could fool even him, even someone who had known her all of her life...

"Well, that's all I wanted to say... It's um, it's fine if you don't... feel the same way," Teddy mumbled, letting go of her hand. "Happy Birthday, Victoire. I'll see you around."

"Teddy." She gripped his finger before his hand was entirely out of hers. His heart skipped when he saw the familiar sparkle in her eyes. Her hand went to the back of his head, he could feel her fingers between his hair as she pulled him in so that his face was only centimeters from hers.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lupin," she said softly before closing the distance between them. "It took your son long enough."

The flower turned a brilliant red.

* * *

><p>? :)<p> 


	18. The Lone Wolf

A/N: A long one, in celebration of JKR and Harry's birthdays.

* * *

><p>The weather could not have been nicer and Teddy could not have been happier. He and the other seventh years were at the end of their week long N.E.W.T. exams and Teddy had only an hour ago stepped out of his Charms classroom for the last time. And though perhaps it should have been a bittersweet moment, seeing the small professor for the last time, writing his last answer on the last test he would take at Hogwarts, he could only feel the exhilaration as he realized he was finally finished. He'd have to think about the real world soon, how he would worm his way into the Auror department, where he would live, when he would see his classmates again, if ever, but at the moment he was terribly distracted from these thoughts as the tufts of grass by the Great Lake brushed mischievously against his skin and an extraordinarily pretty girl lay on top of him, her smile against his mouth, his hands in her hair.<p>

"Ow!" she exclaimed, pulling away from him and jolting him out of his daydream like moment. "Why is your wand hitting me?"

Teddy blinked and saw that his wand was indeed in the air, poking at Victoire's back. As soon as she was more than an arms length away, the wand redirected its course and began to hit his head. He snatched it out of the air, annoyed that it had interrupted.

"Precautionary measure," Teddy muttered, turning his annoyance to his paranoia. But since they were already separated, he pulled out the wrinkled parchment from his robe.

He pointed his wand at it. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

He felt Victoire lean over him as they both watched the map reveal itself on the paper and saw their names together, so close that they had become one tangled mess. Another dot was approaching them and only then was Teddy grateful for his precautionary measures.

"Your wand hits you whenever James is approaching?" Victoire asked incredulously.

"Not just James. I've linked it to the map so that it'll let me know whenever anyone is coming." She looked as annoyed as Teddy had felt just a moment ago. "Oh c'mon, Victoire, can you imagine what James would do if he caught us together?"

She smiled slightly. "I just find it a bit alarming when I start getting hit in the middle of a good snog."

He grinned. "I used to have it make noises but that didn't help my sneaking around cause much."

She pulled herself completely away from him so that they sat an appropriate distance apart, just in time for James to burst onto the scene. Or rather, for him to mope onto the scene.

"Why the down face, James?" Teddy called. The boy jumped when he saw Teddy and Victoire. Apparently he had not been looking for them and was just taking an uncharacteristically casual stroll by the Great Lake.

"Oh, hi guys," he said, sitting down next to Teddy. "Just thinking about… Quidditch."

Victoire nodded sagely. "Bummed about the loss last week?"

"Yeah." He flipped the red hair out of his eyes. "It should've been us in the final!"

"It's not your fault, James," Teddy offered. He had already had to console a desolate Mike about losing the last Quidditch game he would ever play in. James still had four more years to shine. "The Chasers were doing fine. We just had bad luck with the Snitch."

"Look at you with your Quidditch terms," Victoire teased. Teddy ignored her but James smiled slightly.

"I know what will cheer you up," Teddy said suddenly.

"What?"

"Close your eyes."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

James closed his eyes but Victoire put her hands over them anyway since they both knew James had a habit of peeking. Teddy cleared the map. Though taking his last test had not had much of an effect on him, watching the lines outlining the map of Hogwarts Castle fade away did leave a pang in his heart.

"Open."

James looked in disgust at the blank parchment in his hand.

"You know Teddy, even Hermione at least gives me unused parchment."

Teddy tapped his wand against the parchment.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs… I, Teddy Lupin, do hereby bestow your map upon James Potter."

The words scrawled themselves across the parchment instantly.

"_Mr. Moony would like to express his shock that there could possibly be two James Potters in the world without the world running out of ego._

_Mr. Wormtail cannot help but feel horrified that the Potter lineage has procreated._

_Mr. Padfoot would like to send his most sincere heartfelt apology to anybody who has to live with a name like James Potter._

_Mr. Prongs wonders why nobody is nearly as worried about this Lupin kid?"_

James stared wide eyed at the map.

"This is…" Before he could finish his statement he had his wand out and practically roared, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" When his eyes ran over the lines and the moving dots a few times, he looked back up at Teddy, his familiar grin returning.

"I always looked in dad's desk for this but I guess you found it before I did!"

Teddy shrugged. "I won't really need it anymore. It's all yours."

"Thanks, Teddy!"

Teddy grinned and leaned back against Victoire in satisfaction. She shoved him away, a brutal reminder that they were still keeping their relationship a secret from James. Luckily, James was too absorbed in the map.

"Oh!" he said suddenly, tearing his gaze away from his grandfather's map. "Teddy, I forgot to tell you, Professor Nover wants to see you."

"Oh?" Teddy had only seen Professor Nover in a classroom setting ever since his last Animagus lesson. His back tingled at the thought. "When?"

James grinned sheepishly. "He told me to tell you a week ago but I forgot… He's in his office right now though!" he said brightly, pointing at the map.

Teddy winced. "Guess I'll go then."

"I'll see you later?" Victoire said, a slight smirk playing across her mouth. "Without interruptions?"

Teddy turned quickly away to head back to the castle, morphing away the flush that had crept into his face and could just barely hear James ask, "Interruptions?"

* * *

><p>"Lupin," Professor Nover greeted when Teddy entered the office. He had not been there in months. It was still as small as ever. "And I thought you were so eager to get out there into the real world that you didn't have time to stop by."<p>

"You chose a poor messenger, sir. He only just got the message to me."

"Ah. His Transfiguration grade shall suffer gravely then," Nover winked. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk and Teddy sat down.

"I wanted to ask you what it is you plan to do after graduation." He kept his head down, seeming to be more focused on the paper he was reading than on Teddy. There was a whole stack of papers next to him which Teddy could only guess were final papers waiting to be assessed.

"I plan to be an Auror, sir."

"Is that it?" He scrawled furiously at one of the papers and Teddy could not help but feel a pang of sympathy for the poor student facing Nover's wrath.

"Er, I imagine that will take up most of my time..."

He looked up. "What happened to werewolves?"

Teddy looked away, partly in shame.

"I suppose that's been put on a halt for now."

Nover tapped the end of his quill against the student's paper.

"Until when?"

"I don't know." The truth was that he had not given his failure to become an Animagus much thought once he had promised his grandmother he would make no further attempts. And ever since Victoire had become a full presence in his life, he did not even feel too upset about it. She was terribly distracting in that manner. The full moons went by just like any other night when he was with her.

"Well, Lupin, I just want to tell you that I think your abilities would be wasted as an Auror."

"What?" Teddy asked blankly.

"Frankly, I think you'd be best suited for Transfiguration research. Excellent field where your mind could really thrive, but the research life isn't for everyone." He pushed the paper covered in red ink away and gave his full attention to Teddy. "I've been thinking about why you weren't able to transform that day."

"And?"

"It's because you're still unsure of yourself. You were almost there. I was convinced you would make it work that time. But something stopped you, maybe a seed of self doubt, I don't know. Do you remember what you were thinking at the time?"

Teddy scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, a bit annoyed as to why if Nover had wanted to know what he was thinking he had not asked him sooner.

"I don't know. Probably something about my parents. Or how I didn't actually know what I'd do once I was in Animagus form."

Nover nodded thoughtfully.

"Well then. In a few days time I will no longer be your professor. While I have you here, I suppose I can finally show you something." He drew his wand to his head and a silver, almost liquid like substance attached itself to his wand as it was dragged out of his head. Pulling a full sized Pensieve out of the cabinet behind him, he dropped the memory in. He waved a hand at it.

"After you."

Warily, Teddy leaned his face against the cool liquid and was transported instantly.

He found himself in the Leaky Cauldron, looking at a man sitting alone at a a table, tapping his quill against a parchment just like Teddy had seen his future self do just moments ago. He did not look like he had aged much since then, but he was dressed much more sharply than the current day Nover. Besides his clothing, he did not look much different, but there was certainly something about the young Nover that was strikingly different from the Nover that appeared next to Teddy...

Teddy identified the difference the moment the young Nover stood up to shake a young woman's hand. He carried himself with an aura of what can only be described as unbridled youthful arrogance.

"Tonks," young Nover greeted, and with a jolt Teddy realized he had been too focused on Nover to notice his own mother's entrance. Her hair was the pink Teddy had seen in photographs. She could not have been very old, not too many years out of Hogwarts, but he could see the light scar across her arm that she had gotten the night the Order had gone to rescue Harry at the Department of Mysteries, which meant this memory could not have taken place much before she had carried Teddy, or much before she had died...

"Wotcher, Nover," she greeted cheerfully enough, sitting down at the seat opposite him. So they were not on first name basis. Teddy felt an odd sense of satisfaction in knowing that much.

"Congratulations," young Nover said, nodding at her hand. Teddy scolded himself again for noticing the scar on her arm but not the ring on her finger.

"Thanks!" she beamed, waving her hand proudly in front of Nover's serious face. "Now are you going to tell me why you called me out here?"

Nover nodded in his arrogant business like manner and pulled a file out of his robes.

"My work in the Department of Magical Creatures puts me in contact with many interesting situations..."

"As does mine as an Auror," she said happily. Teddy could not help but like her. Even if she had not been his mother, he would have thought she had an undeniable charm. The corners of

Nover's mouth twitched slightly.

"I'm not sure if you'll like what I found, but when I saw it I thought you had the right to know." He pushed the file in front of her. She flipped carelessly through the papers, flipping slower and slower as she saw more, then finally stopped at one of the last pages.

"What is this?" she demanded, serious for the first time.

"A file of the werewolves we've been tasked to follow."

"And why are you showing me this?"

Nover's arrogance seemed to flicker away for a moment, replacing itself with surprise.

"That's your fiancé," he said, pointing a long finger at one of the pictures. Teddy leaned over his mother's shoulder and saw a picture of a lean man, and next to it, a solemn wolf.

"I know, thanks for telling me," she said coolly.

"You knew? That he's a werewolf?" Without the arrogant confidence, young Nover looked nearly the same as the current day Nover.

"Of course I know." She flicked the file back to him.

"And you still want to marry him?"

Teddy had half a mind to punch the young Nover.

"I have half a mind to punch you right now," she said, standing up so quickly that her chair screeched against the stone tiles.

"Wait, wait, there's more," Nover said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back into the chair. He

flipped to the very end of the files and pointed at another picture.

"This is Fenrir Greyback. I'm sure you've heard of him in your line of work. He's been known to consort with You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. And right there." His hand tapped furiously into the photograph. "Right there, next to Greyback is your fiancé."

She looked at the picture, her expression revealing nothing. Teddy knew where to look though, and saw the roots of her pink hair begin to turn brown.

Nover continued cautiously. "It's none of my business if you want to marry a werewolf. But if you want to marry someone so closely associated with You-Know-Who, then it does become the Ministry's business."

Teddy barely saw his mother's hand whip out her wand and in the same instant, set the picture aflame.

"Hey!" young Nover yelped, fumbling for his wand to put the fire out. "That's valuable evidence!"

She leaned in close to him and spoke in such a hushed tone that Teddy had to lean in to hear.

"This doesn't prove anything. This is only a reminder to me of how much he put himself in danger for Dumbledore. You want to see what he does with Greyback and all of those other wolves? Then actually follow him and don't just creep around and take pictures of him."

She stood up and this time she would not be stopped. Young Nover seemed to sense this as well, so instead of trying to call her back, he merely shouted to her as she threw the door to the Leaky Cauldron open and stepped back out onto the street. The surroundings began to wash out as the memory faded.

"Just because I graduated with you don't expect me to go easy on him!"

Before the memory faded completely, Teddy heard his mother's voice retort, "And just because I'm an Auror don't expect me to protect you when the Death Eaters come!"

The scene shifted and they were in the woods, standing behind a young Nover crouched behind a bush. The full moon lit up the sky. Before Teddy had time to adjust himself to his new surroundings, a pack of creatures sprinted by the bush. When Teddy looked back, he did not see young Nover in the bush any more, but a sleek brown fox.

"I knew it!" Teddy exclaimed, turning excitedly to the real Nover. "From the first day I knew you were an Animagus!"

"Yes, yes, very good, now pay attention."

The fox's ears perked up and instantly gave chase to the wolves, bounding between bushes and behind trees to keep from being seen. The wolves, if they noticed their follower, paid him no attention. They all ran with the same speed and ferocity, all following the alpha wolf, the largest wolf at the head of the pack.

"Greyback," Nover said, pointing to the wolf at the front. "And your father." He pointed to a wolf at the back of the pack, its coat greyer than the other ones and its body thinner but nonetheless able to keep up with the pack easily. There was something incredibly majestic about the way they ran together, as one cohesive unit.

Greyback stopped running and his pack skidded to a halt beside him. They were on a hill, looking over a small village illuminated only by the full moon. He lowered his head then flung it to the sky and howled. The others in the pack joined and just as quickly as they had stopped, they were running again, straight to the village with Nover bounding behind them.

The pack circled around the targeted house, Greyback sniffing at each of the walls, looking for an opening. The fox observed safely from a few houses down.

"Greyback always went for small children," Nover said softly as they watched the wolves interrogate the house farther. "Mostly children of people Voldemort wanted dealt with. But sometimes just people who annoyed Greyback."

Finally, Greyback nodded at one of the younger wolves, a wolf almost as big as he was. With a snarl, the younger wolf launched itself against the wooden door again and again until it gave way. Immediately behind the door though, were three armed wizards, their wands ready. A jet of red light came out of one of the wands but just before it could hit the shocked alpha, a thin wolf leaped in front of him and took the blow. Teddy watched his father's body get flung back, landing limp against the ground, completely stunned.

It was just enough time for the wolves to make their retreat. His father managed to shake off the spell before the wizards caught up to him and soon enough he was back in the pack at Greyback's right. When they were far enough from the village, Greyback let out an angry howl, snarling ferociously at all of the wolves, no doubt furious after their failed attempt. The other wolves bowed their heads. One of Greyback's ears twitched. In stunning speed, he leaped behind the nearest bush and when he came back out, he carried a squirming fox between his sharp teeth.

The memory went hazy then and all Teddy could see were black shadows, barely recognizable as wolves, leaping all around, seeming to attack each other, eager for anything to bite at after their failed mission. The scene filled with a slash of red and Teddy saw Nover's hand go to the scar across his chest.

When the memory cleared, there was a lone wolf standing in front of the limp fox, growling against all the others of the pack.

Greyback snarled but Teddy's father stood fiercely in front of the fox. When Greyback lunged at him, he buried his teeth into the alpha's neck and flung him aside. Greyback's eyes narrowed but he let out a howl and the remainder of the wolves retreated with him.

The fox collapsed to the ground and the scene turned black.

They were in a small house and the young Nover, now in human form, was just blinking awake. He reached for his bare chest but there was only a scar where there should have been a wound deep enough to bleed to death from. Teddy saw his father sitting at a desk beside the bed.

Nover sat up, flinching slightly from his wound.

"Where am I?"

"An abandoned house not far from where you were last night." For the first time Teddy heard his own voice in his father's.

"You brought me here?"

"I wasn't in the mood to watch Greyback tear you to pieces."

"How did you know I was a human?"

"I've spent a lot of time around Animagi. I sensed it."

"And you healed me?" His hand ran over his chest again.

"Yes."

"This is some good work. You should be a Healer."

Teddy's father smiled slightly. "Thanks to the Department of Magical Creatures that is impossible."

Nover looked away sheepishly. "Er, thanks for saving me."

"You cost me all of the status I've worked for. Just when I thought taking that stunning spell for Greyback was going to seal the deal... But a human life is always worth saving, I suppose." He walked over to the bed and extended a hand to Nover. "Remus Lupin."

Nover took the hand. "Adam Nover. Your fiance and I were in the same year at Hogwarts."

"Oh? Fascinating," he murmured though did not actually seem to be fascinated by the fact. "Now are you going to tell me why you were following us last night?"

The scene faded and all too abruptly Teddy was back in present day Nover's office.

"That's it?" Teddy said blankly, desperately wanting more.

Nover sighed. "It already took a lot out of me to recall that much. Those aren't my favorite memories."

"You used to be a prick," Teddy offered.

"Trust me, nobody knows that better than myself. Your parents pretty much single-handedly changed me."

"What happened afterwards?"

"Your father explained to me what he was doing. That entire year he had been acting under Dumbledore's orders to spy on the werewolves and figure out their relation to Voldemort. But he did more than that. Almost all of the people Greyback turns are young. Your father would talk to them and try to convince them that there was a life for them outside of Greyback's vengeance against humans. That if they joined Dumbledore's side rather than Voldemort's, they had a chance of living out their human lives. No one ever told you this is what your father was doing?"

"I... don't think Harry knew. Or my grandmother."

Nover furrowed his brows. "He would sneak them away and create elaborate stories to cover for them when Greyback asked where they were. He sent them all to the same place and until he died he and your mother would give what little funds they had in order to make sure they always had Wolfsbane Potion and books to read. After your parents died there was no one left, so I funded them for a bit, but Wolfsbane is expensive and your parents' funds had already been running low... I wasn't able to support them for more than a year. I don't know what happened to most of them."

"I had no idea..."

He smiled sadly at Teddy. "I should have told you sooner. I did keep in touch with one of the teenagers your father saved. He's trying to recreate what your father started. To let these people live a human life when society insists on calling them monsters. That's what your father believed in, and that's what he convinced me to believe in too."

Teddy clenched his fist.

"One more thing. I ran into your mother again when she was carrying you. She was always a bright presence even at Hogwarts, but when I saw her then, she practically glowed. She said if there was one thing she was grateful to me for it was that I had ruined your father's position within the werewolves so he had no choice but to stop running with them. But I know that's not true. He didn't stop because of me. He stopped because of her, and because of you, because he wanted to live his own human life with his own family..."

Teddy closed his eyes. Almost immediately he felt his mouth contort and lock into place. His head whirled with thoughts on his mother and father, on the world they were trying to create, a world they wanted to see their son grow up in. His arms fell to his side and he remembered his meeting with Bletchley at Slughorn's party, how much discrimination still existed in this world, how much more his parents could have done to help it if their lives had not been cut short... He heard Nover summon a mirror. And in that moment, he knew what it was he had to do after Hogwarts.

He had to save the werewolves.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the pale eyes of a wolf staring back at him.


	19. Real Life

A/N: Whew! It took me a while to be happy enough with this chapter to post it but here it is! Thank you for all of the reviews so far- there really is no other motivation quite like it! Let me know what you think of this chapter :)

* * *

><p>There were so many distracting smells.<p>

They were supposed to be headed to the Owlery, but Teddy found himself padding eagerly towards the Hufflepuff basement while Eric hissed at him, running ahead of him and trying to redirect him, but Teddy was bigger and pushed his friend aside. He could hardly control the drool forming around his mouth as they got closer and closer to the kitchens, the smell of the last breakfast they would have at Hogwarts already cooking.

Eric hissed again and this time Teddy flung him aside with a swipe of his paw. The ferret tumbled away as Teddy stood on his hind legs and scratched at the pear. The fruit giggled and turned into a doorknob which Teddy pawed unsuccessfully at.

"Sometimes being human has its perks," Eric said from behind him and gave him a vengeful kick with his human foot and turned the doorknob with his deft human hand.

"I get so hungry every time I'm in wolf form," Teddy admitted, standing upright and stretching. They had barely stepped into the kitchen when the house elves swarmed around them, offering them every pastry imaginable.

"I think this is what I will miss the most about Hogwarts," Eric said between bites of treacle tart.

"We is missing you too, Masters!" one house elf said through large tearful eyes.

"We'll be back," Teddy winked. He knew all of the entrances into Hogwarts thanks to the Marauders. Though most of these paths had been blocked off, there were a few that had just opened up now that he was not confined to his human form. Even though he had longed to be a wolf, he could not help but be jealous of Eric's ability to worm his way through almost any passageway thanks to his smaller size.

"Imagine all of the havoc we could have wreaked if only you hadn't been so slow," Eric said playfully when they finally managed to get out of the house elves' grasps and back into the hallway, each with their robes filled with pumpkin pasties.

"Not my fault you're so dependent in your havoc wreaking."

"We've only gotten through half the castle. Your nose keeps distracting you-"

"Can you say your stomach regrets it?"

He sighed. "I s'pose not. C'mon. We have one last night in this castle and I want to make the most of it."

* * *

><p>It was nearly four AM when they were satisfied with their exploration of the castle. There wasn't much that one night in animal form could reveal to them that seven years in human form had not already, but they did it more for each other's company than anything else. Eric already had his future job in the Department of Magical Creatures lined up and so could finally relax. Teddy had been negligent in his duties to find a job in the real world but he figured that could wait until after Hogwarts.<p>

Once they parted ways, Teddy padded back to the Gryffindor Common Room and turned human again only to say the password for the Fat Lady. Once back in, he was about to head up to sleep in his four poster bed one last time when he noticed the staircase leading up to the girl's side. He stared at it long and hard for a while.

_Well, why not give it a try?_

He turned back into the wolf form, sniffed around the bottom of the staircase for a bit, then placed a hesitant paw on the first step. When nothing happened, he continued slowly until all four paws were on the stairs and they had not tossed him off yet. He felt his tongue loll out of his mouth and his tail begin to wag as he bounded up the stairs and pushed the door to the sixth year girls' dormitories open with his snout.

His sensitive sense of smell came in handy this time around. Though all of the four poster beds looked the same, he picked up on her scent immediately and trotted over to her bed. Digging his head under the curtain, he peeked in and found Victoire sprawled haphazardly over the bed, as if she had jumped from a cliff and fell asleep in the position she had landed in. He licked the dangling hand. She grunted and the hand flinched but she did not wake up. He licked it again, running his long slobbering tongue over her smooth hand.

She opened her eyes. It was just like Victoire not to scream or cry for help when she saw a wolf staring at her from the end of her bed, but rather to just look at it in fascination. She scratched her head with her non-saliva soaked hand, blinked a few times, then pushed her face right in front of Teddy to get a closer look.

He pawed her hand and grinned, though he did not know what that must have looked like in wolf form.

"It's nice to meet you too," she muttered, still blinking away her sleep. Teddy let out a whine.

"Victoire?" a only half awake voice grumbled from the bed next to them.

Victoire tapped twice to her side and Teddy leaped onto the bed and curled up next to her.

"Sorry, strange dream," Victoire called back but it seemed like the girl was already back asleep since there was no response. She waved the curtains close with her wand and put a silencing charm too.

"You're an awfully fearsome creature," she said, reaching a hand slowly to him. He met her halfway and his tongue lolled out again when she ran her hands through his fur. "Kinda cute though."

He put his head on her stomach and angled it rather uncomfortably so that she looked into his eyes.

"You have beautiful eyes, fearsome dog," she yawned.

He turned them turquoise.

Whatever sleepiness had been left in her fled as she stared with her mouth open and Teddy wagged his tail.

"T...Teddy?"

He morphed back and in seconds he was on top of her, smiling fiendishly and kissing her eagerly.

He felt her smile against him before pushing him away.

"Merlin, I'm a bit horrified right now."

"You're horrified _now? _You let a wolf into your bed without a second thought."

"Well it was awfully cute and seemed friendly..."

"Yup, that's me."

He shivered when she ran her hands down his body, starting from his shoulders then trailing down, stopping at his hips.

"You did it..." she said softly, pushing her head into his neck so that each of her soft hairs grazed his skin. "I knew you were good at Transfiguration but... wow."

"If I knew becoming an Animagus would be the only way to get into your bed then I would have worked a lot harder at it."

"You're a scoundrel, Teddy Lupin," she scowled but pulled him into her by the front of his robes.

He had always enjoyed every moment of kissing Victoire and those first few moments were no different, her lips smiling against his, his hands in her hair, but soon it did become different. The blanket that had covered her had been thrown to the side of the bed somewhere along the way so that there was nothing separating them but his robes and her pajamas. He became incredibly aware that he was in Victoire's bed, lying on top of her, her leg wrapped gently around his, her hands stroking the front of his robe...

The kiss slowed and he pulled away just enough so that their foreheads were still touching, their eyes searching each other, but their mouths far enough to only feel each other's slow shaky breaths. He wished that his hands were not under her so that he could take out his wand, use some legilimency to see what she was thinking, what she wanted, but no that was a horrible idea, why did he even think that...

He pulled one hand from under her and she arched her body into him, he could feel her pulse quicken, or maybe that was his own, his hand found the bottom of her shirt and he continued to search her eyes but could make nothing of them. He slipped his fingers under the shirt and felt her warm firm skin as her body seemed to sigh into him at his touch. Swallowing, he sent his hand farther up, bunching her shirt with it, until to his surprise, she giggled.

"Good night, Teddy," she smiled and kissed him before turning away and curling up with her pillow.

It took a moment of staring at the top of her four poster bed for Teddy to gather himself and let out a shaky sigh of relief. He wrapped his arms around her and slept soundly through the remainder of his last night at Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Golkow? My name is Teddy Lupin. Professor Adam Nover gave me your contact information so that I could talk to you about the wolves-"<p>

"Get out of my house!"

"You can't just storm into someone's house demanding to know about werewolves," Victoire rolled her eyes when Teddy told her about what happened. They were in Louis' old tree house in the back of Shell Cottage, Bill and Fleur inside entertaining a few Weasley relatives. If her parents wondered why Teddy was over at their house so often ever since his graduation from Hogwarts, they did not ask.

"I thought he would welcome me in. Nover said my dad saved Golkow from a life under Greyback. Talk about ungrateful..."

"Maybe he just didn't like you," she said pleasantly. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Bring me next time."

"What? How would that help?"

She smiled mischievously. "He's a man, isn't he?"

"Yes..."

"I'm part Veela."

"This guy is something else. He doesn't look that old but everything besides his appearance just screams grumpy-old-man-with-built-in-Veela-resistance."

"No man resists the Veela power," she said ominously.

"I think you might be a bit too diluted down for that much power."

"Bring my mum then."

"Argh, that'd be weird..."

"It'll work. I've seen her in action- no man can resist her."

"Yeah but..." Teddy could not think of an excuse other than that he liked to avoid awkward situations whenever possible.

"Bring her, or I tell her and the rest of the Weasley clan all about us. And Rita Skeeter too, for good measure," she said, eyes gleaming triumphantly.

"What? That's ridiculous-"

She sighed. "I don't see why you won't let me tell even my parents about you. They love you. And we wouldn't have to hide in this tree house all the time."

"A second after they know the rest of them will know too-"

"And they all love you too!"

"Yeah, well I imagine they won't love me if they knew what I was doing to their precious little Victoire," he grinned and pinned her to the musty wall of the tree house, her sharp intake of breath bristling against his skin as he pressed his mouth to her neck. She had no more protests.

Yet so it was that Teddy went on one of the strangest adventures of his life back to the grumpy Greg Golkow's house with Fleur Delacour-Weasley in tow.

"What is zis place?" Fleur demanded when he apparated them just outside of Golkow's house. He could not blame her for her look of disgust. The house looked almost like an exact replica of the Shrieking Shack.

"A friend of my father's lives here. He has a foul temper though-"

"I will 'andle zis."

Teddy followed in admiration as Fleur stormed up the stairs and pounded furiously on the door. It whipped open in a matter of seconds, the man's face contorted to full on grumpiness and then, in an almost comical change, his face fell as it stared wide eyed at the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Are you Meester Golkow?" Fleur asked pleasantly.

"Yes," he said, his voice barely recognizable without the anger as he ran a hand through his graying hair. "How can I help you?"

"Zis is Teddy." Teddy stumbled forward sheepishly while Golkow narrowed his eyes at him. "'E would like to speak with you."

"You again?" he growled.

"Be nice to 'im," Fleur scolded and immediately the man's features softened. Teddy looked on in wonder. Perhaps having grown up with the Delacours had made him numb to just how convincing their Veela sides could be. "'E is my daughter's boyfriend."

"You- you know?" Teddy gaped, completely forgetting about Golkow.

She rolled her eyes, looking just like her daughter as she gave a dramatic sigh.

"I am no eediot, Teddy. Bill though..." She shook her head. "Go! Be nice." And without another word she apparated away.

"Er..." Teddy began, too unsettled to think of everything he had told himself he would say to Golkow.

"How did you find me?" Golkow demanded, not budging from the entrance of the door. He was taller than Teddy, dangerously thin with graying hair. Yet there were small things about him, the unwrinkled skin, the fierceness of the dark eyes, the quick reflexes- he might even have been younger than Harry.

"Professor Adam Nover-"

"I don't know who that is."

Teddy cursed his professor for being so unmemorable.

"He knew my father and about the sort of haven for young werewolves he was setting up-"

Golkow's eyes widened. "What did you say your name was?"

"Teddy Lupin."

Just as his face had completely changed upon seeing Fleur, it softened again into just a look of regret.

"Lupin. Of course. Come... Come in."

The house on the inside also bore a strong resemblance to the Shrieking Shack. Yet the ripped cushions of the couch or the tears in the wallpaper were not the most noticeable thing. A pungent spell wafted through Teddy as soon as he stepped into the house.

"Wolfsbane?" Teddy concluded. He had not reached N.E.W.T level Potions without learning a few things.

"Yes. It's why I don't like people coming near my house this time of the month. The smell gives it all away..." He lowered himself into his couch wearily. He looked up at a pathetic looking calendar hanging crookedly on the wall. "Three more days until the full moon." He shuddered.

"You'll be okay with the potion though, right?"

"Sometimes I think drinking that stuff is worse than the transformation," he grinned, revealing alarmingly sharp canine teeth. "And it's so expensive... Ministry makes it near impossible for someone like me to get a job these days." He yawned. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen, sir."

He furrowed his gray brows.

"I was a few months old when my father died," Teddy said quickly in order to relieve Golkow of the math he was clearly struggling with.

"I'm so sorry." He sounded sincere. "What do you want from me? Stories about him?"

For a moment he hesitated. He would have been content just to listen to whatever this man had to say about his father. But he had a different goal.

"Have you heard of the Homorphus Charm?"

"No. I didn't go to a fancy school. Everything I learned was from the books your father managed to bring to us."

Teddy swallowed but made himself continue.

"It's a charm that..." He decided to start from the beginning in order not to sound ridiculous. "It was first documented by Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart was a fraud known for taking the work of greater witches and wizards and claiming them as his own by obliviating these people. One of his books talks about the Homorphus Charm, a charm that he claimed could cure lycanthropy..." Teddy paused but Golkow had no reaction except to continue to stare intently at him. "I wasn't hopeful but I investigated, and I found the person who I believe Lockhart obliviated. He couldn't help me, but I found his notes, and..." Teddy took out the copies he had made in Wagga Wagga with his and Eric's notes added in. "And well, I think it could work."

Golkow peered over and flipped through the small stack of papers.

"This is all over my head," he grumbled.

"I had Professor Nover- he's the current Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts- look over it too. He thinks it could work too. But there's only one way to find out..."

Golkow closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

"You want a test subject."

"I know it's a lot to ask, but if it works, it could change everything. It could go wrong, but I've looked over this so many times and if I don't try it nobody will-"

"I'll do it."

Teddy blinked. It seemed like luck was finally on his side.

"I, well, okay. There could be potential dangers... It could make your life worse..."

He shrugged.

"There is nothing worse than this life. If there is even a hope that this could work, I'll do it. If not for myself, then for your father."

Teddy's head was spinning.

"Okay. I'll... I'll come over in three days then."

He wondered what he could possibly do in three days' time to thank Victoire and Fleur for their help.

* * *

><p>"You didn't come to the Auror interviews today," Harry said after dinner that night as they sat in his living room. James and Albus were outside flying on their broomsticks, playing a game whose rules changed each time either of the boys changed their minds.<p>

"Ah. I... forgot about them," Teddy lied.

Harry pushed his glasses up.

"That's not like you. But you're in luck. With the volume of applicants, we had to extend the interview process. Come by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Saturday."

"Huh? Oh, you're right. Monday then." And before Teddy could make up an excuse, his godfather stood up, stretched, yawned widely, and smiled contentedly.

"See you in three days."


	20. Homorphus

He supposed it was only fair that he had this old, wiry Auror as an interviewer rather than his godfather. Dawlish had a permanently grumpy disposition, as if he had been jinxed one too many times. He seemed a bit too rough and slow moving to still be out in the field. Perhaps there was important Auror paperwork that needed to be done as well. He eyed Teddy warily while grinding his teeth.

"So. I see you got Outstandings on all of your O.W.L.s,'' he said, rifling through the stack of papers he had in front of his desk.

"Yes, sir."

He tossed the transcript aside.

"So did everyone else who applied. What makes you special? Or did you think being Harry Potter's godson was going to let you in?"

Swallowing, Teddy clenched his fist. It really was one of his least favorite things when people assumed all of his successes were due to Harry.

"Not at all sir," Teddy managed to say calmly. If Harry were not the Head of the Auror Department, he probably would not even have gone to the interview. There was still so much to prepare for that night, when he would be attempting the Homorphus Charm for the first time on a real subject... But even though he could not say Harry was the reason for the Outstandings on his O.W.L.s, he certainly did owe his godfather enough to at least try during this interview.

"Then why do you want to be part of the Auror Department?" Dawlish asked, tapping his pen against his cheek.

He thought for a moment about what the other applicants would have said. _I want to catch bad guys._ But that sounded so juvenile. _It's the most prestigious department in the Ministry._ Too proud. _I want to meet Harry Potter._ There could not have been a worse answer than that.

"My mum was an Auror," Teddy said and immediately wanted to take it back. It sounded even more juvenile than the catching bad guys line did.

"I know. And?"

Teddy wrung his hands.

"And she died too young."

Dawlish sighed.

"Do you know how many sob stories I've had to listen to? You-Know-Who's reign affected just about everyone in your generation. The Auror Department doesn't need revenge seeking youths."

"Then what do you need?"

He thought for a moment.

"We need people who are willing to learn. Who aren't just begging for glory."

"I think you'll see from my test scores that I am very capable of learning."

"Listen." Dawlish leaned forward in his desk and flicked his hand, indicating for Teddy to do the same. Teddy leaned in warily. "Your test scores? Perfect. Your recommendations? Even better. You're not the best interviewee, but if you're anything like your mother, and I think you are, then you'd make a fine addition to the Department."

"Th-thank you, sir," Teddy stammered, having convinced himself that Dawlish was out to find any reason to set his application aflame.

He scowled.

"But if you want to convince anybody else of your worth, you're going to have to work twice as hard as any of the other applicants just for people to look past that you are Harry Potter's godson. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly, sir."

"And you're going to have to gain some weight."

"What?" Teddy said blankly, wondering if Molly could have somehow expressed her concerns to Dawlish.

"Just because I'm letting you pass this interview does not mean you'll pass the tests to come. I'm sure you're aware that there are three years of training to go through to become an Auror, and most of it is physically straining. You might be scrawnier than Potter was when he came here- at least he played Quidditch," Dawlish scoffed.

"Er, okay, I'll work on that," Teddy muttered, wrapping his cloak around himself self consciously.

"Good. Then I'll arrange for you to have your practical examination in a week. Good luck, Lupin."

"Thank you, sir," Teddy said, still a bit bewildered that his interview had actually gone well. Perhaps age was softening the cranky Auror.

* * *

><p>Before the sun set, Teddy was back at Greg Golkow's house, isolating himself in the study with the notes on the Homorphus Charm. The incantation was simple enough. The wand movements were a bit technical but nothing harder than anything he had done in his N.E.W.T level Transfiguration class. It would be the mental part that would be the hardest- the complete concentration required to rid a man of a disease that had plagued thousands for years. Teddy closed his eyes and breathed deeply again, clearing his mind. Victoire had gone to France for the week and his Auror interview was done with so there was absolutely nothing to distract him. He opened his eyes. His calculations were perfect. Nothing could go wrong.<p>

He stepped back into the living room of the house where Golkow sat awkwardly on the couch, seeming to scrunch himself against the arm of the couch while Nover sat at the other end, completely relaxed. Outside of Hogwarts, Nover dressed just as sharply as he had when he was younger, though his laid back attitude made the outfit much more pleasant than his youthful arrogance had.

"All set, Lupin?" Nover asked. Golkow flinched when Nover spoke. When the time was close for the full moon to rise, it was said that all werewolves' senses were heightened.

"Yes," Teddy said as confidently as he could. Even he was beginning to feel the drain of the moon. "And how are you doing, Mr. Golkow?"

"Wonderfully," Golkow said through gritted teeth.

"You took your potion?"

"Every last drop," he said, making a face of disgust.

"Then we will be perfectly safe," Teddy said, managing to smile slightly.

"Can I see those notes again, Lupin?" Nover asked.

"Hm? Yeah, here-"

"It seems like you're missing a page. Maybe it's back in the study?"

And before Teddy knew what was happening Nover pushed him back into the study and closed the door firmly behind him. He searched Teddy's eyes.

"Are you nervous?"

"No," Teddy lied.

"Have you ever seen a transformation?"

Teddy swallowed. "No."

"Thought not. It will be subdued thanks to the Wolfsbane but it can still be a hard sight to manage. I can always call you out here once the transformation has happened-"

"No. I want to see this all the way through."

He nodded in understanding.

"Don't get your hopes up, Lupin."

"The theory is all correct- you said so yourself."

He ran a hand through his thick brown hair.

"I know. But in theory it should have taken you a day to become an Animagus. In theory werewolves are humans yet most people treat them like monsters. In theory-"

"Okay, I get it," Teddy snapped. His morph was coming undone, whether it was due to the moon or due to his anticipation he did not know.

Nover placed a hand on Teddy's shoulder.

"Whatever happens, I'll be right behind you. And if you're in danger, you know what to do."

Teddy nodded. He had practiced turning into his Animagus form from all sorts of positions. He looked out the window.

"It's time."

When they returned to the living room, Golkow was already on the ground on all fours, panting heavily. Teddy grabbed his wand with one hand and the door knob to the study with the other for lack of anything else to hold onto. Nover watched calmly as Golkow looked at them with an almost apologetic glance before a large tremor ran through his neck, down his back, and his mouth curled into a snarl.

"A transformation will always start from the neck. The jaw will go first," Nover said quietly. Teddy almost smiled. Of course Nover would take any opportunity to turn something into a Transfiguration lesson. Sure enough, Golkow's bottom jaw protruded horribly with a snap as the jaw broke but quickly began mending itself into its new position again.

"The limbs are next. They all become shorter and closer to the body. It won't be as noticeable, but the claws are forming at the hands and feet at the same time."

Whether or not Golkow appreciated Nover's commentary was impossible to tell, for by then his eyes had sunk into his head, the snout had almost completely replaced the mouth, and his whole body shook as his limbs retreated into paws.

"And then the shaping of the head." The human ears sank away, pointed alert ears protruded from the top of his head, his brown hair began to fade to be replaced by grey fur, his teeth were bared as they all seemed to become more pointed, more conformed with their new jaw. Finally, the tail extended from his spine. His clothes lay in a torn heap on the ground as the newly formed wolf circled around them, pawing at them lightly.

"And that's it!" Nover said cheerfully. Teddy shook himself out of his trance. He had never seen anything quite like the transformation of the werewolf- there was something horrible about the way the bones had to crack and reform themselves with each changing limb, yet something beautiful about the fact that such a creature could exist.

The werewolf sat in front of them and looked up obediently.

"Wolfsbane is incredible, isn't it?" Nover said admiringly. "That was a relatively quick and painless transformation and he has full control of his mind right now, don't you?"

The wolf let out a small whine and pointed to Teddy's wand.

"Right." Teddy pointed his wand at the wolf who closed his eyes. Only when he saw his hand in front of him did he see that it was trembling. That would not do. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind again the same way he had learned from the Occlumency textbooks. When he opened his eyes again, his hand was as steady as could be. He had a feeling Nover was eyeing him carefully from a distance but he could not be bothered by what his former Professor was thinking. There was only one thought that ran through Teddy's otherwise blank mind before he conjured the spell.

"_For you, dad."_

The jet of yellow light flashed out of his wand, hitting the wolf squarely between the eyes, knocking it out of sight behind the couch.

For a moment, Teddy only blinked at the back of the couch. He could feel his heart beat faster- would the creature that emerged be a man? He looked at Nover who only shrugged and nodded to the couch. Teddy took a few slow steps towards it. A growl made his stomach drop.

A blurred grey creature lunged over the couch straight at Teddy. He could see the claws extended, the fangs revealed, a full blown werewolf eager to sink its teeth into him. Before he could recover from his shock to raise his wand, something red leaped in front of him, knocking the wolf aside. The fox was half the size of the wolf but twice as fast as it leaped around it, hissing from every direction while the wolf growled at its annoying attacker. The fox turned and hissed at Teddy.

Teddy's body seemed to know what to do before his mind did. He was suddenly close to the ground, on all fours, leaping at the werewolf with claws extended and managing to knock him to the wall. The werewolf whimpered, but its eyes were crazed, as if there had been no Wolfsbane in the first place... The fox pointed a paw at the study door and began to dart to it only to have the werewolf cut him off. The fox made a valiant effort of trying to slide under it only to have the werewolf swipe with one honed claw. It was impossible to tell the red blood gushing from the fox's side from its red fur.

Teddy sank his teeth into the back of the werewolf's neck, his mouth full of fur as the werewolf howled and slammed his back against the wall. Teddy yelped as his jaw's grip came loose and the werewolf turned, snarling at him and closed its mouth around his shoulder. Teddy yelped again as his shoulder seemed to crack under the werewolf's impossibly strong jaw- he raked at the attacker with his hind legs yet the werewolf did not budge until-

"_Stupefy!"_

A jet of red light hurtled the werewolf across the room and stunned him in place. Nover was standing at the doorway of the study, clutching his wand with one hand and his bleeding stomach with the other. Teddy ran on all fours to the safety of the study. Nover slammed the door behind him and muttered what seemed like hundreds of protective charms on the door before finally collapsing against it.

"Are you alright?" Teddy asked once he had calmed himself enough to reenter his human form.

Nover was already disrobing, tossing the blood stained robes aside until they could both clearly see where the claw marks had dug into his skin.

"It seems like my other scar has company now," Nover muttered. Teddy was alarmed at how faint his voice was.

"Let me see it."

Teddy had only a cursory study of healing spells and his wand trembled as he tried to mend the skin back together. A sudden howl at the door made Teddy's hand jerk and Nover winced as the skin tore back open again.

"Sorry, sorry..."

When he finally managed to heal Nover just enough so that he was no longer bleeding, he collapsed next to his Professor. Both sat in silence as they listened to the clawing of the werewolf on the other side.

"I don't know what happened," Teddy said finally.

"I was so sure it worked," Nover sighed.

"The spell did _something_ though- it seems like it got rid of the effects of the Wolfsbane anyway..."

"Well that's a useful spell," Nover said sourly. Teddy flinched.

Nover sighed again. "It was too good to be true, Lupin. Lycanthropy has existed for thousands of years and there's never been even a hope for a cure. You're still young though. You have plenty of time to pursue new dreams. You're one of the brightest students I've taught so don't let this bring you down."

The Professor stood up and leaned against the door, panting slightly.

"Let's get out of here. We can come back in the morning to check up on him. We can apparate from here. I need to see Madame Pomfrey..."

Teddy shook his head. "You go. I'll stay here and explain to him as soon as he gets back into his human form."

Nover looked like he was going to argue before he clenched his side again. It seemed like the wound had reopened.

"Fine. I'll see you... later then, Lupin." And before Teddy could give his own farewell, the Professor was gone.

Teddy lay down on the wooden floor, his black hair falling in front of his eyes. He could practically feel the moon shining on him, mocking him. He had become an Animagus for this, had worked so hard in school to one day make this dream a reality, had practically given up on pursuing an Auror career for this... These negative thoughts were due to the moon, the rational part of his mind told himself. He still had a chance of being an Auror, being an Animagus could be useful...

Yet no rationalizing could change the fact that he had failed, and while he was able to lay in the study as a human, there was a werewolf just on the other side of the door, willing to try anything to bite Teddy, to spread its disease, to be rid of its own body.


End file.
